Red and the Wolf
by TheFairyTaleWriter
Summary: Victoria 'Red' Hills just left San Fransico to spend a summer with her grandmother in the quiet town of Fairy Tale. At first Fairy Tale seems like a small sweet forest town but then one night changes everything. The forest that surrounds Fairy Tale now seems like a fence, there are strange noises that lie beyond them, and everyone and everything is turning out to be a lie.
1. Welcome to Fairy Tale

Rain poured down on the quaint town of Fairy Tale as I drove my red Prius down the black road. The only signs of life in the small town were the beams of light shining from the windows of shops and houses. All of this, plus the surrounding forest and towering Sequoias and Redwoods that cast a shadow over the town, were adding a creepy factor to Fairy Tale.

What a great way to start summer.

In San Fransico it was probably 90 degrees and I would be on the beach with Kate, Megan, George, and Jason. Instead I was in a old, small, creepy, and wet town turning onto Rivers Drive.

Mom had warned me not to come. Fairy Tale was her hometown, and she hated it. She always complained about the smallness, the quiet, and strangely, about a creepy fog. Another thing Mom complained about was how there was a magic spell that held everyone in town in place, how they all had to follow a certain roll. I think being raised by Grandma just made her a little loopy.

I drove down Rivers Drive until I saw a house that I recognized from Mom's pictures, Grandma's house. Grandma's house was a beige one story house, with a pig white porch, white porch swing, small living room window, deep purple door, stone steps, and large green lawn with several flowers planted in front of the porch. I parked my car in the driveway - which was to the left of the lawn - and pulled my red hood over my dark brown hair before snatching my suitcase and running to the door. I then locked my car and entered Grandma's house.

You could really tell the age of the house from the inside. It looked like the dark hardwood floors would creak when stepped upon and the pipes shake at night. The entrance hall was covered in a light purple floral wall paper and the walls were filled with framed family photographs. I noticed Mom was in a lot of them. I walked down the entrance hall - the hardwood floor did in fact creak - and entered a cozy living room. The room was moderately sized with more purple floral wallpaper and a small fire burned in the brick fire place. A fuzzy brown couch lay parallel to the fireplace and a glass coffee table in front of that. Brown chairs rested on either side of the coffee table next to the couch and more framed photo's covered the white mantel above the fireplace. A window looked over the whole room and the whole house smelled like dried herbs.

"Grandma!" I called out dropping my hood.

Silence.

I left my suitcase in the doorway and sat in front of the fire. Might as well warm up while I'm waiting for Grandma.

I leaned against the coffee table and pulled my cell phone out from my sweatshirt pocket. One missed call from my mom, one from my sister, a text from Kate, and a picture of Jason holding a dead orange crab shell by a leg from George. So they did go to the beach. Delightful.

I heard the creak of a door opening and close and heavy footsteps followed that. I quickly pocketed my cell phone and in the process knock a tray of rocks from the coffee table with my elbow.

"Victoria, is that you?" Grandma called out into the house.

"Yah it's me," I said picking up the rocks and placing the tray back on the coffee table, "I'm in the living room."

I heard some more footsteps and Grandma appeared in the doorway. Grandma was a short, skinny woman with warm brown eyes and thin white hair pulled up into a bun. She had many laugh lines and wrinkles carved into her face and I imagined she would look strange without them. Grandma was wearing a purple long sleeved shirt and a large green raincoat over it, blue jeans, and a pair of green raincoats. She was covered in raindrops and I guessed from what Mom had told me, she had been in the garden earlier.

I stood up to great her and she wrapped me in a bear hug. "Victoria," She said. "I haven't seen you since you were ten! You've grown so much!"

"Missed you to Grandma," I said pulling away from her hug.

"Well I'm so glad you agreed to spend the summer with me Victoria."

"Everyone calls me Red now Grandma."

"Like the color of the jacket?"

"It's the only red I know."

Grandma laughed. "How about I show you your room now."

"Okay," I said.

I grabbed my suitcase and then followed Grandma out of the living room. We walked through a bright kitchen/dining room before turning left and walking down another hallway with three doors. Grandma stopped at the end of the hallway and in front of a closed light purple door. "Now that's my room," Grandma said pointing to the door at the other end of the hallway. "The next door is the bathroom, I hope you don't mind sharing with me." When I did't protest she opened the purple door behind her. "And this room is your bedroom."

The room she had just opened was a little bigger than my room in San Fransico. The bedroom walls were a soft lavender color matching the fluffy sheets on the queen sized bed in the center of the room. The bed itself was a deep brown color and two fluffy white pillows rested on top of the lavender sheets. There was a large window on the wall across from me with white curtains, a view of the garden out back and a white window seat. A moderately sized closet was in the parallel wall and a deep brown dresser, desk, and chair were pushed against the right wall. A land line rested on the desk and a white fan hung from the ceiling, a bunch of glow in the dark stars were also stuck to the ceiling around the fan.

"I hope you like the room," Grandma said.

"It's amazing," I gasped.

Grandma smiled, "I'll just leave you to unpack now," Grandma said. She walked out of the room and quietly shut the door behind her.

I placed my red suitcase on the bed and took out my laptop. Thankfully there was WiFi and I sat down at the desk. I spent the rest of the day surfing the internet and video chatting and IMing Kate. By the time dinner rolled around, the pouring rain outside the bedroom window had turned into a soft drizzle.

Grandma had left a Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie outside my door on a tray with a glass of milk and a note that said she was going out to town.

So here I was, on the first day of summer, eating a Chicken Pot Pie alone in the small rainy town of Fairy Tale.

What a great way to start summer.


	2. The Day I Met Ryan

The next morning, when I woke up, there was no signs of the previous days storm and warm sunlight poured through my bedroom window.

I had dressed for the day and was slowly french braided my hair, tying it with a red ribbon when I was done. After that I grumpily walked from my bedroom and into the kitchen. The kitchen/dining room was a large rectangular room with three doorways: one that lead to the bedrooms, one that lead to the entrance hall, and a glass door that lead outside into the backyard. The kitchen itself was very up to date with granite countertops, cherry cabinets, and stainless steel appliances. An Oak table and chairs rested in the corner of the large room in the space between the doorways that lead to the bedrooms and the entrance hall.

I sat down at one of the chairs and ate my cereal quietly. Grandma was gone again, in fact the only reason I knew she came back last night was the note I found taped to my closed bedroom door. She said that she had an emergency Garden Club meeting and left some money on the desk for me to go into town with. Apparently she was planing on being gone all day because the Garden Club was researching this rare flower that glows and only grows in the area of Fairy Tale and Story Book Woods. Sounds fun.

I dropped my empty cereal bowl and spoon in the kitchen sink and made my way towards the front door. I might as well do what Grandma says and spend the day in town. It'll give me time to scoop out the town I'll be staying in all summer. Plus, I really need some friends to hang out with here. I'm not, under any circumstances, going to spend my whole summer on my laptop.

I closed the front door behind me and locked it before jumping down the stairs and walking to town. The shops of Fairy Tale was only a five minute walk from Rivers Drive and I quickly found myself staring at shop windows. A few people were out on the streets, a group of tall pretty girls, a man walking a dog, and just some random people in general. As I passed by the group of girls they all gave me curious looks before continuing the conversation they had been engaged in before. I guess they weren't used to new people. From what Mom said, everyone know everyone and no one new ever shows up.

This is why Mom should have let me come here sooner, no need to be the loner sixteen-year-old.

I sighed at the thought and decided to enter the boutique next to me, a little place called Enchanted. The exterior of the store of the store had a giant glass window and door to the left of it. The building was all white with brick steps that lead up to the door. The interior was small with plain white walls and light hardwood floors that made the place seem clean, casual, and young. Light wooden shelves pocked out from two of the walls and simple steel bars held racks of clothes. I entered the shop and looked for signs of anything red. I _always_ wore something red, every single day; it was ether on my body or in my hair. With a name like Red you have to be wearing the color.

The store looked promising, even if I didn't buy anything red I would surely leave with something cute.

"Are you looking for something particular?"

I jumped as the sales clerk appeared next to me. The sales clerk was a short perky girl who had long brown hair, brown eyes, a trail of freckles, and a name tag that read "Haley". I smiled at her and decided to actually use her help. Maybe we could be friends in the future. "Actually I'm looking for a red beanie, and a pair of shorts," I told Haley.

She nodded and then lead me to the back of the room. "Here are the shorts we own in the store," Haley said. "are you new to town?"

"Thanks," I said, "and yes. I'm staying at my grandma's house all summer."

"Oh, then welcome to Fairy Tale! I'm afraid nothing exciting really happens here."

I smiled at her. "Well then I can be bored for the rest of summer."

Haley laughed, "We can be bored together."

"Sounds fun, maybe we can go hangout somewhere and turn our boredness into not boredness?" I asked.

She laughed. "Definitely. You set the time and I'll pick the place."

"Well I should get back to the back room before my boss yells at me," Haley said. "Oh, and I'm Haley by the way."

I didn't point out that I had read her name tag already. "I'm Victoria," I said, "but everybody calls me Red."

"'Kay, see you around sometime Red?"

I nodded and she turned around and disappeared somewhere in the store. I spent about an hour or two in that store and ended up spending 70 dollars on a pair of jean shorts, a thin red belt, a red beanie, and white lace flats. Haley and I made plans to met up sometime and I left Enchanted with a smile. Things were starting to look up. I had made a friend Haley and it was really only my first day in town and I couldn't expect everything to go my way now.

I smiled as I walked down the sidewalk towards where Grandma had told me a bookstore was (she left it in a note). I could probably find a good novel that would keep me busy and away from the internet while I wasn't hopefully hanging out with Haley.

I spotted the small bookshop down the street and started walking faster. As I was walking by one of the shops something came out of one of the doors and I ran straight into it. I had no time to scream as a box and the person holding it fell on top of me and on the sidewalk.

It took me a moment to realize that a box of books was lying tipped over and next to me and that a boy was half on me and half leaning over and on the sidewalk. The boy quickly rolled off of me - not a pleasant feeling - and then rose to his feet. "Sorry," The boy said as a blush creeped onto his face. He held his hand out to me and I let him help me up.

"I should be saying sorry, it was my fault. I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking and you obviously couldn't see over that big box."

"Well I guess it's both our faults then. I couldn't see over the box, and you weren't paying attention. I'm Ryan by the way."

"Red."

"Red, what a strange nickname."

I shrugged, "Its kind of a log story."

After that Ryan seemed to have an argument with himself for a minute before replying, "Maybe I'll get to hear it one day."

I smiled and kneeled down to pick up his books. Once they were all in the box I picked it up and handed it to Ryan. "So where you heading with all these books?" I asked.

"Home," He said.

"And will I possibly get to learn where that is?"

"Rivers Drive."

"Oh cool! I can walk back home with you, I should probably check up with my friends. You see I'm staying with my grandma all summer," I explained.

"Your Mrs. Hood's granddaughter," Ryan said enthusiastically, "I live right next door, and you do not know how long Mrs. Hood has been talking about you staying with her. She was really excited."

_Yep, so excited that I've barely seen her since I've got here._

"Yah, I'm excited too," I said as we started walking back to Rivers Drive. "I haven't seen Grandma since I was ten. Mom and her don't really get along, I think my mom thinks Grandma doesn't understand her or something."

"Sometimes I think my parent don't understand me," Ryan said, "but then again, isn't that how every teenager feels?"

I smiled. "Yah, because how are you supposed to expect someone who doesn't know what your thinking to completely understand you?"

"Exactly! But just because you don't understand someone doesn't mean you shouldn't support them."

"Woah," I said. "Were getting kinda deep here. Maybe you should be one of those high school assembly speakers. You know, the ones everyone hates."

"Why would I want to be a hated assembly speaker?"

I shrugged. "Maybe it's fun?"

Ryan laughed. "Okay, I'll think about it."

He stopped and I realized we were already in front of Grandma's house. "See you later?" He asked.

"Sure."

He waved goodbye and then walked up the steps to his house and disappeared.

So now I had two friends.


	3. Haley, the Pillow Queen

"Okay, if you had the choice between wrestling an alligator or eating a worm, which one would you choose?"

"Definitely wrestling an alligator," Haley said before taking a sip of her ice tea through the blue straw. "it just way more exciting than eating a worm."

"Oh yes, eating a worm is just to dull," I said with a smile.

Haley laughed, "No! That's not what I meant. Its just that wrestling an alligator would be _more_ exciting than eating a worm."

"Plus, you could soo take that alligator down."

Haley laughed and we clicked our ice teas together. "Cheers to me wrestling an alligator then!"

I laughed along with Haley and then took a sip of my own ice tea. Haley and I were at my grandma's house, sitting crisscross on my bed. We had come back from the Second Star Cafe - a popular chain coffee bar - with ice teas and now were playing a game of truth. The questions were ranging from ridiculous ones about things that would never happen, to ones about our families. So far I had learned that Haley hated the color yellow, had an older brother, would jump in a shark tank for a million dollars, worked to save up for a car, and had never left Fairy Tale before.

"Okay, my turn," Haley said swirling the tea inside her plastic cup around. "What is your favorite type of goldfish?"

I though for a moment. "Xtra cheddar," I said. "Favorite food?"

"Strawberries." Haley took a long sip from her tea before continuing, "Do you play any sports?"

"I'm on my school's volleyball team," I said. "Do you play any sports?"

"I'm on Fairy Tale's cr-"

But Haley never got to finish her sentence because at that moment Ryan came crashing through my bedroom window and fell on the hardwood floor with a thud.

"Oh my Gosh, Ryan!" I quickly set my tea down and rushed around the bed to help him up.

"I'm okay," Ryan said as he stood back up. A blush was creeping onto his face and he scratched his neck. "Hey Red, hey Haley."

Haley waved from where she was watching him on my bed. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

Ryan shrugged. "Everyone else is gone and I decided to give my new friend Red a visit."

"So we're your second choice then." Haley raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms. Boy, Ryan better make a good excuse for her.

"No!" Ryan said quickly as his blush started spreading, "I already knew the guys would be gone so I came over here to hang out with Red. I also thought that I would scare her and go through her bedroom window but my foot got stuck on a nail and I fell through the open window."

"So you were trying to be a creeper."

"No! I w-"

"Just forget it," I interrupted, "we can all hang out together."

I closed the bedroom window and then walked back over to my bed, sitting crisscross across from Haley again. Ryan smiled and sat next to Haley and I. "So, what are we doing?" He asked.

Haley turned towards him. "We were playing a game of truth."

Ryan looked worried and he and Haley shared a look before he turned away. "Did you find out anything interesting?" He asked.

"I found out that Haley would wrestle an alligator," I said.

"And I found out that Red likes xtra cheddar gold fish," Haley said.

"Sounds fascinating," Ryan said sarcastically.

Haley picked up one of the pillows on my bed and whacked him with it. "Hey!" Ryan cried out. He picked the pillow back up and whacked Haley with it.

Haley then set down her ice tea on the floor and picked up two pillows. She threw them both at Ryan who instantly retaliated. Haley threw a pillow at Ryan but missed and hit me instead. My tea spilled all over me and I stared down in shock at my wet t-shirt. Haley gasped and held a hand up to her mouth. "I'm so sorry!"

I set my spilled tea on the ground and then picked up a pillow. From then on it was war. Everyone was pretty much flinging the five pillows that had been on my bed at each other. Yet, in the end, Haley and I ended teaming up and whacking Ryan till he surrendered. Haley then dubbed herself the Pillow Queen and I, the Pillow Peasant. Thanks for the appreciation for helping you fight Ryan.

"I think Haley is letting this go to her head," I whispered to Ryan.

He nodded. "She looks ridiculous dressed like that."

"Do you think she knows?"

"Definitely. Not."

Ryan and I were staring at Haley, or now, the Pillow Queen. Haley had taken a strip of paper and taped the ends together so it was now a circle; she had then glued white feathers to it and was wearing it as a crown. She had also made a sash out of strips of paper that read, "The Pillow Queen." She was obviously taking this _way_ to far.

She'll probably be making Ryan and I start carrying her around everywhere next or something like that. Which, by the way, I am not doing under any circumstances. Well, maybe if she broke her leg or had a heart attack or got attacked by a raccoon.

So I would carry her around under three circumstances.

"Hey, umm Haley." Ryan was looking down at the bronze watch on his wrist, "We have to go to that cross country practice today."

That snapped Haley out of her Pillow Queen mood.

"You guys have cross country practice in the summer? Isn't cross country a fall sport?" I asked.

"We do this summer cross country team thing," Haley explained.

_Do they even do that?_

"Okay," I said. "see you guys later?"

"Definitely," Haley said smiling, "and while I'm gone." She picked her feather crown off her head and placed it on top of mine. "you will be the temporary Pillow Queen."

"What an honor," I said sarcastically.

"We really have to go Haley," Ryan said.

"Fine," Haley snapped and then her voice perked up. "Bye Red!"

Her and Ryan started to walk out of my bedroom.

"Bye," I called.

"Bye Red." Ryan waved before they both disappeared down the hallway.

Soon after I heard the front door open and close and then the house was filled by silence. Even though I was pretty sure that they were both lying about being on the summer cross country team, I couldn't really figure out why. The only guess I had was that they were secretly dating but that didn't really make any sense. They didn't really seem like each others type and I don't really get why they would keep it a secret. It's not like it would affect the one week friendship I had with both of them.

I heard the front door open and close again and then the familiar sound of Grandma's green rain boots filled the house. I had learned - in the short time that I had been here - that Grandma never took of her rain boots. They were like her trademark and she always wore them because she was always gardening. She always hosed off her rain boots before coming in the house because by the time she came inside they were usually coated in dirt and mud.

"Red, are you home?" Grandma called out.

"I'm in my bedroom," I said.

"Are Ryan or Haley coming over for dinner?"

"No, they have a summer cross country practice today."

"What summer cross co- oh okay."

I heard some more footsteps and then she was standing in the doorway. "We're having grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup tonight," Grandma said.

"Okay," I said.

I walked across the room and sat down at my desk. "It'll be ready in an hour or so Sweaty," Grandma said, "And I like the crown by the way."

She then turned around with a smile and walked out of the room.

I smiled and took the crown off of my head. After that I opened up my laptop. I had received a few messages from Kate, George, and Jason in the time I had been here. I mostly talked to George and Kate since Jason had gone on his annual trip to a remote part of Canada where there was no reception.

Kate had left me a message and some photos of George and her hanging out by the Ghirardelli Chocolate store. I suddenly felt homesick. I had never spent a summer away from San Fransico before and I missed the cool foggy mornings and the warm evenings. Even as sweet and wonderfully quiet as Fairy Tale was, I couldn't help but miss the busy, never dull San Fransico. I strangely missed the crowded BART station and Fisherman's Wharf Bush Man.

You see in this one part of Fisherman's Wharf there's this guy called the Bush Man. He's obviously homeless but he has two branches and hides behind them, and whenever anybody walks by he jumps out and screams at them. It's hilarious.

Kate, George, Jason, and I would always go and sit on the ramp of the bridge while watching him scare everyone. At the end of the day we'd always give him the money we hadn't spent on food.

My laptop beeped and I noticed I had a notification. It was a video message from Kate. I watched as the window popped up and the video started playing. Kate and George were in front of the Ghirardelli store (which is on this plaza on top of these skyscrapers) as the video played they shoved ice cream in each others faces and talked about how much they missed me.

This really didn't help with my homesickness.

"Okay," Kate said at the end of the video. She was holding a scoop of chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone in her hand. "So we like really miss you and wish you were here. And when you come back, you have to tell me all about your grandma's house and all the cute boys you're probably hooking up with." She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. "So anyways I love you and Georgelovesyoutoo!"

George looked surprised and tried to whack Kate with his cone of ice cream. "He really loves you!" Kate said quickly, "So love you bye!"

The video went black as it ended.

I really missed my messed up friends.


	4. The Bookstore

In honor of only having two friends that seemed to always be disappearing more everyday, and having no other life, I found myself a job. It was at the small bookshop I had been walking to the day I ran into Ryan. So now, two days after the Pillow Queen incident, I was sitting in a very quiet bookshop.

Sunlight was pouring through the large front window of the shop, lighting up the small room. There were about a dozen white bookshelves with there books neatly organized on the shelves. I sat on a stool behind a white counter and cash register, bored out of my mind. Everything about this shop was perfect. So I was pretty much only a store watcher.

At least I was getting payed for doing nothing. Awesome.

My phone lit up as I took it out of my pocket. Haley and Ryan weren't answering my texts, and Kate and George were out probably having some super fun and amazing adventure. And then there was Jason, but he didn't have any internet or cell service. I started playing temple run on my shinny white iPhone. This job was really boring and I had no friends that seemed to be around.

The bell above the shop door rang as a tall man stepped into the shop. He was wearing a black leather jacket, maroon shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He was holding a large (my estimate was about 5,000 pages), old, hard cover, indigo book. The door behind him closed and he looked around the shop before setting his eyes on me. He had brown eyes, and black hair. He seemed to be maybe a year older than me and had a look of determination in his eyes. An aura of mystery and danger emanated off of him and he seemed to be out of place in this small dainty bookshop.

I pocketed my phone as he walked over to me. "I would like to donate this book," The man said dropping the book on the counter with a loud thud. "I have no use for it now."

"What kind of book is it?" I asked.

"Werewolves."

"_That's a big book about werewolves," I thought._

I took a closer look at the book. It seemed very old. The indigo book's cover was peeling off and the pages were yellow from age. A large silver symbol was carved on the page with a silver vine curling around it. It was all very cool and ancient looking. "Are you looking to sell it?"

"No," The man said. "Just donating it. I am sure the book will find itself, in the right persons possession. My friend told me she comes here often."

"Okay," I said. "Do you happen to know this girl who is supposed to pick it up? I could put it on hold here."

"No," The man said with a dazzling white smile, "She'll find it."

He then turned around and left the store without saying a word.

_Weird._

I picked up the book and traced the silver vine carving with my finger. The silver paint was smooth underneath my finger and once the vine ended at the mesh hard cover I studied the symbol in the middle. It was a triangle with a circle inside of it and inside of the circle was a small flower connected to the bottom of the circle by the stem.

I opened up the book and found old, yellow pages. The pages had that old book smell and it took me a moment to realize that I was at the wrong end of the book. I flipped the book so I was at the beginning and started turning through the pages. When I finally found a page with writing I started reading:

"_Werewolf |'we(_ə)r woŏlf|

_noun (plural -wolves)_

_(in myth or fiction) a person who changes for periods of time into a wolf, typically when there is a full moon._

_ORIGIN late Old English werewulf; the first element has usually been identified with Old English wer [man.] In modern use the word has been revived through folklore studies."_

_Above passage taken from New Oxford American Dictionary._

_Many people do not believe in the existence of werewolves but find them horrible monsters of the night, cursed human souls, or maybe a romance novel character. Werewolves can be these and many more identities. After centuries the race has grown more cautious and intelligent, now an untrained person would not be able to tell a werewolf from any ordinary man. But there are many signs to revealing the identity of a werewolf: disappearances close to a full moon, unnatural burst of energy or strength close to a full moon, able to run fast and long without growing tired, fear of silver, and great hearing or eyesight. If any person holds two or more of any of these trait they are either a werewolf, hunter, or a really skilled human being._

The book went on for a couple more pages about werewolf traits and soon I found myself intrigued but unable to concentrate. All I could thing about was what if werewolves were real. Who ever wrote this book was a strong believer.

The man who had brought the book in, he said that the book was meant for someone. That some girl was supposed to just know that the book was in this store and find it. I don't see why he didn't have me put it on hold for her or give it to her himself. I don't even know why he would want to part with the book in the first place. It was beautiful and interesting, with as many pages as it had, it probably held every human knowledge about werewolves that was ever thought up. Who ever read this book would be busy for a while.

I needed a book to keep me busy since my new friends had disappeared and my old friends were out having adventures. In fact I could probably just borrow this book, if the girl who is looking for it ever found out I had it all I have to do is take it from my house and hand it to her. Plus, since the man never told me if she knew it was in this shop, the girl who was looking for it probably wouldn't even find it for a long time. And then the book would just sit on a shelf all summer, taunting me with its secrets and such. It was probably a good thing that I was taking the book. That way when I actually picked it off the shelf to read it I wouldn't read one page and then have the girl walking through the door asking for it. I was doing myself a justice by bringing it home.

I placed the old book next to my bag behind me just as I caught movement outside of the small window beside me. Across the street were Haley and Ryan with a group of guys and one other girl, there was about eight of them in total.

So this is where they've been hiding from me.

I quickly sent Haley a text message and watched as they were now directly across from the shop. Haley didn't even check her phone. She was deep in conversation with the other girl of the group who was tall with straight blonde hair. She was wearing black skinny jeans, a white t-shirt, brown shoulder purse, and brown boots.

These were obviously the friends Haley and Ryan had before I came only a week ago. Even though I hadn't know both of them very long I felt really close to them. Now they weren't answering my texts or later they would reply with, "Sorry, had cross country practice. We have a really big meet we're training hard for."

I had looked it up, and Fairy Tale didn't have a summer cross country team. And if they did, only crazy people would sign up for a summer sport. Something was definitely going on.


	5. Conall and Co

The next day I found myself at the Second Star Cafe. I had ordered a warm cup of tea and was relishing in the free WiFi that the establishment offered. "Okay," Ryan said as he came back with his coffee. "I swear Cindy Owens needs to learn how to take a joke."

I rested my head on my palm. "Is Cindy Owens the music genius or the popular girl?"

"The popular girl," Ryan said. "Gale Knighting is the musical genius."

"Oh," I said as I took a sip of my tea. "so what did she do?"

"She was just being her usual self. She can be so sweat sometimes but whenever Aurora comes around she acts so snobby," Ryan explained.

"Aurora is the rich girl who just moved in with her parents right?"

"Correcto."

"Are they both here?" I asked.

"Yep."

"Just steer clear of them," I said with a wave of my hand. "they'll probably leave soon enough anyways."

Ryan shrugged and took sip of his coffee. I took this as my chance to go back to my phone. Pictures from Instagram lit up my screen and I scrolled through them with my thumb. Strangely today there were no pictures of Kate and George. I figured they had grown tired of each other like they usually did sometime during the summer.

My feed was filled with pictures of my friends that were taken by some unknown photographer. It had always stooped me how girls could get such perfect photo's of themselves and claiming they were just relaxing at home or something. If you're just relaxing at home did a ninja break into your house and take a photo of you or something?

I took a sip of my tea and set my phone down.

"So where's Haley?" I asked.

Ryan turned his gaze away from the door and towards me. "I think she's doing some errands with her mom," He said.

"Oh yah, she's saving up for that car."

Ryan nodded. "She wants to buy a Jeep or something like that, I think."

"Jeep, I've always taken her as the cute blue Bug type of person."

"That's what a lot of people think, but Haley's got this mysterious, adventurous side to her," Ryan explained.

"Do you spend a lot of time with this mysterious, adventurous Haley because I seem to be spending a lot of time with the cute, Pillow Queen Haley," I said swishing my tea around in its cup.

Ryan swallowed a mouthful of his coffee and nodded. "We have the same friend group and everyone in Fairy Tale has pretty much know each other since preschool, so I've seen the adventurous Haley come out loads of times. One day she climbed up one of the Redwood trees around town and hung upside down from a branch."

I laughed. "Are you serious? The lowest branches on these things are like fifteen feet in the air!"

"I know!" Ryan's face lit up in a smile. "She just jumped up and swung from the branch for a while before she pulled herself on top of one of the branches."

"That sounds like something one of my friends back home would do. Kate is the kind of person who will go headfirst into the Pacific Ocean on a rainy day, and we live in San Fransico."

"There's only one explanation then," Ryan said taking a big gulf of his coffee (his cup was only half full now), "she's a mermaid!"

I smiled. "That must be it."

"I've seen weirder things than that."

I raised my eyebrows. "You've seen weirder things. Than a mermaid."

He nodded and took a sip of his coffee. I lowered the cup and took it from him. "I think all this coffee is going to your head."

He tried to reach for the cup but I pulled it away from him. "I'm fine," He protested.

"You're shaking!" I said laughing.

"So wha- oh watch out." Ryan frowned looking at the door.

"What?" I asked turning towards the door.

Ryan pulled me back. "Don't look!"

"Why?"

"Because it's Conall."

I turned towards the door and recognized one of the people I had seen Haley and Ryan had been hanging out with yesterday.

"Isn't he your friend?" I asked Ryan.

"Yes, no, yes, maybe."

Ryan pressed himself close to the table.

"What do you mean maybe?"

"We hang out sometimes but he can be difficult to work with. He calls the shots and doesn't listen to reason well."

I spotted Conall and the rest of the people from the group yesterday turn and walk towards our table. "You might want to sit back up," I said to Ryan. "they're all coming over here."

"_All_ of them!"

I nodded. "You sure seem to like your friends," I pointed out.

"I like them fine I just don't want them to do something they regret and have you mixed into our si- Conall." Ryan straightened up in his seat and planted a smile on his face. "what brings you to our table?"

Conall was a tall brown haired boy with dark brown eyes. He had a camera on a thick strap slung over his shoulder and was wearing a green shirt, light brown shorts, and nike sneakers.

"We wanted to meet your friend," Conall said gesturing to the group behind him that mostly consisted of tall guys and the one girl. "so why don't you introduce us?"

"Everyone this is Red," Ryan said gesturing to me. "Red, this is Conall, Matthew." Ryan pointed to a tall light brown haired boy with a trail of freckles splayed across his nose.

"Nick."

Nick was a shorter (but still tall) light brown haired boy with medium length hair and blue eyes.

"Evan."

Evan was a tall red haired boy with black rimmed glasses hiding green eyes.

"Fred."

Fred had blonde-brownish hair and blue eyes.

"and Ellie."

Ellie was the girl I had seen Haley talking to earlier. Ellie had delicate porcelain like features: a small nose, cute brown eyes, small pink lips, and straight blonde hair. She was at least six inches shorter than all the guys making her seem like a small child in there presence.

"Hey," I said with a smile.

None of them responded back. Friendly.

Ellie sat down in the seat next to Ryan as the other boys grabbed chairs from nearby tables and sat around me. "So," Ellie said scrolling through something on her phone. She had an air of arrogance around her. Actually, they all did. "where's Haley?"

Ryan shrugged. "I think she's out with her mom."

"So close to the moonshine day?" Ellie asked looking up from her phone and raising her eyebrows.

"There's still at least five days left," Evan countered.

I am totally lost.

"So Ryan," Nick said looking at me not so subtly, "Does she-"

"NO!" Ryan cried out.

I felt really awkward.

"You know what guys," I said picking up my leather bag and standing up. "I think I should just leave you to talk about your moonshine day or whatever party that must be."

"No," Conall said grabbing my wrist from where he was sitting next to me. He lowered me back onto my seat and looked me straight in the eyes. "stay, we were intruding on your and Ryan's day and Nick was just asking Ryan a silly question. Ryan is quiet shy as you much admit and he can become drastic sometimes."

Conall's eyes were so brown and his voice flowed like chocolate.

"Okay," I found myself saying with a smile. "I'll stay."

Ellie scoffed and rolled her eyes while Ryan looked guilty and angry at the same time. I had never seen this side of Ryan before and it puzzled me.

"Sorry Red," Nick said to the right of me. "I didn't mean to make you feel left out."

"And speaking of feeling left out," Fred said and Evan shot him a look. "why are you called Red?"

"It's my favorite color," I explained, "and one time in fifth grade I accidentally hit Shelly Berkheart in the face during doggeball - she wasn't very good at dogging - and so she waited for me by the door of the classroom the next day. And when I came in -wearing a white sweater of course - she poured a bucket of red paint on me and yelled, 'do you love that stupid color now?!'"

"How does a fifth grader do that?" Matthew asked with confusion written on his face.

"I think the teacher and her planed it. Mrs. Webrow really hated me."

Ellie scoffed again as she scrolled through her phone some more. "I'm not surprised," She muttered.

Ryan hit her with his elbow.

"Ow!" She yelled.

Conall smiled and turned to me again. "Just ignore them, they do this a lot."

Ryan was right, Conall was the leader and probably did call the shots.

"Hey there's Aurora Rose and Cindy Owens," Matthew whispered.

Everyone in the group turned towards the right corner of the store. Of course, Ryan and I had already known they were there but I had never seen them before. What I saw were two of the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. They both were tall with blue eyes and long blonde hair except one of them had curly while the other had straight. The one with curly hair looked like unwrapped barbie doll, with long mascara coated eyelashes, porcelain skin, soft pink lips, and a natural elegance. She was wearing a sheer pink blouse, jean shorts, and pink ballet flats. The other girl with the straight blonde hair had it up in a bun, dazzling blue eyes, red lips, and a smile dawned her face. She was wearing pearl earrings, a silver chain necklace, a blue knit 3/4 shirt, black shorts, and blue sneakers.

"Who dares me to go over there and ask one of them out?" Nick asked.

"Like you could pick up Cindy or Aurora," Evan scoffed.

"I don't really care," Conall said.

"Go Nick?" I said uncertainly.

"Go for it," Fred encouraged.

Ryan shrugged.

"I bet you ten bucks that she'll reject you and leave," Matthew said.

"No," Ellie deadpanned.

"Okay," Nick said with a smile. "I'll do it."

He stood up from his seat next to me and walked over to the table that Cindy and Aurora were sitting at. You could hear parts of the conversation from where we were sitting and we were all watching the table.

"Do they looked happy?" Matthew asked.

"Not really," Evan said.

"I think she's yelling at them," Ryan observed.

Sure enough Aurora's face was turning red and you could _clearly _hear there conversation.

"He's drowning out there," Ellie deadpanned.

"Should one of us help him?" Fred asked.

"Aurora's going to slap his straight across the face," Matthew said.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"He knows," Conall said.

Sure enough about five seconds later a loud _smack!_ was heard through the Cafe as Aurora slapped Nick across his face. Everyone in the Cafe was definitely watching them now.

Aurora's face was bright red now and she picked up her bag. From the other set Cindy also stood up and grabbed her bag.

"What's it going to take to get you to spend one night at a movie theater with me or something?" Nick asked.

"I'm sorry," Aurora said.

She was calm, like the ocean before a tsunami.

"But I don't go out with wet dogs!" She screamed.

She was fuming as she stormed out of the Cafe with Cindy close behind her.

Nick came back to the table with a smile on his face and a handprint on his cheek. "I think that went well," He said.

"That went well?" I asked in disbelief.

"Last time she kicked him in the you know where," Evan said with a smile.

"Oh god!" I raised my hands to my mouth.

Nick sat back down next to me and slapped down ten dollars across the table in front of Matthew.

"Who needs a job when you can bet on Nick failures with women," Matthew said happily.

"I think you still need a job," Ryan said.

"And why is that?"

"Because eventually Nick might get a woman and then you have nothing to bet on anymore."

Everyone at the table burst out laughing except for Ellie and I. I just plain didn't know how bad Nick was with women and I don't think Ellie had a funny bone in her body.

"Nick will never score a woman," Evan said.

"I'm offended!" Nick gasped pretending to be offended. "I could so score a woman!"

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "Red and I are actually in a very serious relationship and have kept it secret for a year. She's actually visiting because she couldn't stay away from me. We're getting married and moving into a condo next month, you're all invited." Nick slapped the table. "So take that!"

I laughed and shrugged his arm off of me. "Oh yah, my love for you is just emanating off of me."

"Knew it."


	6. A New Visitor and More People

It was once again a cold day in Fairy cold always seemed to be coming unexpectedly and seeped through the windows and into the atmosphere of everything. It reminded me of the short story_The Birds_ and all morning I had watched the skies in case a flying devil with wings wanted to peck my eyes out.

Everyone in Fairy Tale also seemed to be more nervous on these days, like they knew something that I didn't. But today - unlike the cold day when I came here - I felt like everyone else's attitude was affecting me too. I felt nervous and there was a knot in the pit of my stomach like something big and horrible was about to happen.

"Okay, now why would a book on wedding cakes be 15 dollars!" Nick exclaimed. "That's ridiculous!"

"Yes, let riot the streets and boycott the bookstore and the bakery," Conall deadpanned.

"Not the bakery!" Nick exclaimed, "the bookstore yes, but take away cupcakes and cookies, no way!"

Conall rolled his eyes and picked a random book off the shelf. "Bolts: the Secret to America's Construction." Conall read. "What kind of shitty books do you sell?"

I shrugged. "I've only worked here for like three days."

"Shipwrecked: A forbidden Romance Between an Innocent Small Town Girl and a Handsome Shirtless Pirate," Nick read looking disgustingly down at the cover of the romance novel he was holding.

"Oh my Gosh!" I squealed with fake enthusiasm. "I love that book, especially when Roger, the shirtless pirate-"

Nick hurriedly stuck his fingers in his ears and started yelling out, "Lalalalalalalalalalala."

I smiled.

Conall ticked from where he was standing by a bookshelf, "It's a sad day when you don't know your lover anymore."

"Shut up," I said teasingly. "your just jealous because Nick and I are in loooove."

"You met two days ago," Conall deadpanned.

"That's what you think," I said slyly.

"Gross."

"Are you done yet?" Nick asked pulling his fingers out of his ears.

"And then she find herself kidnapped by little tiki people. And after that Martha Ann almost dies and half her dress rips off so then Roger has to give her really long CPR-"

"Lalalalalalalalalalala."

I smiled.

"So where were we," I said turning towards Conall. "Oh yes, didn't Nick explain only two days ago that we've had a secret long distance relationship."

"Yes, but I must admit the details were rather shady. Maybe because they possible never happened!" Conall gasped. "Oh no! Looks like your guy's secret is out."

"Oh no," I deadpanned. "what ever will I do."

"I guess now I can blackmail you so the others don't find out your secret," Conall teased.

I laughed and that was the last time I ever heard about Nicks and I's fake relationship in imagination land.

"A HA!" Nick cried out. He had removed his fingers sometime during the conversation I was holding with Conall. "So you weren't talking about a romance novel!"

I scrunched up my nose. "Ewww, you actually thought I read those."

Nick shrugged. "You kind of have the look."

"What look?"

"You know," He said, "the look."

"No, I don't know."

She blushed and scratched the back of his neck. "You've got to know about the look!"

I shook my head.

"Come on! Your wearing skinny jeans, dark brown Uggs, a long sleeved white shirt, a red scarf, and a read beanie."

"Thanks for describing my look, I was scared that you and Conall couldn't see it," I deadpanned.

Conall laughed from his shelf.

"Okay, what I'm saying is that you have the whole romantic comedy romance wintery look on right now. I could so see you reading this book."

"You picture girls reading? Somebody has issues."

"Now you're just trying to be difficult!"

I laughed and stuck my tongue out at Nick. Suddenly the door to the shop opened and the cold stormy air flew in.

"Hey!" Nick yelled. "Close the door, or it will start snowing in here!"

The door closed and suddenly a very familiar face came in through the door.

"George?" I asked.

The brown haired boy smiled. "Red!"

"Oh my Gosh!" I exclaimed.

I walked out from behind the bookshop counter and hugged him. "What are you doing here?" I asked him.

He shrugged. "I thought I should visit you since Jason's on vacation and Kate went on a weeklong trip to UC Berkley to visit her sister."

I smiled. "Okay, so you have to met some of the people who have been keeping me somewhat sane," I said.

"This is Conall." I pointed to the hearest bookshelf. Conall looked hesitant but smiled. "and that's Nick." I pointed to a bookshelf across the store."

"Reading Books for Dummies," Nick read out looking at the book in his hands.

"Oh, looks like you've found the perfect book for you," Conall said.

Nick crossed his arms.

"So now we can go to cross country practice," Conall said hurriedly.

"You're on that team to?" I asked them.

Nick but the book back on the shelf. "We all are," He explained. "except for Ellie."

"Like we could ever get Ellie to run," Conall said.

"Are you guys really having a practice in this weather though?" I asked looking out the window, "it's practically pouring outside."

"Yep, Coach is really strict," Nick said as he and Conall made there way over to the door.

"Bye Red," They both called out as they left.

The ever so elusive Cross Country team.

"So those were your friends?" George asked.

"Yah, why?"

"I don't like them," George stated as he leaned against the cashier counter.

He was quick to judge.

"And do they always have weird Cross Country practices on stormy rainy days or is it just today?"

I shrugged. "This is the first stormy day this summer besides the day I arrived in Fairy Tale."

"Strange," George muttered to himself.

"So are you staying at Grandma's?" I asked.

"Possibly," George said. "I also have a friend who lives here, I've been catching up with him lately."

"Funny, you've never mentioned him before."

George shrugged and turned his blue eyes towards me. "You never mentioned that you made friends."

"Yes I did, but it seemed like you and Kate were always on the beach or having some adventure whenever I texted. Plus, I'm friendly, I make friends."

"Sure are Red." George looked around the small shop. "Do you work here?"

I nodded.

"When does your shift end?"

"Today? Anytime really, no one ever comes in here and I expect no one want to buy a book on a rainy day."

"Good," George said. "you can meet my friend then."

I smiled and grabbed my purse and the keys to the bookshop door before turning off the lights and turning the open sign in the window around. George and I made our way out of the shop and I locked the door before pocketing the key in my purse. "So where does this friend live?" I asked.

"East of town."

"Wow, so descriptive," I said dryly.

George was being uncharacteristically vague and was wearing a black leather jacket I had never seen before.

"It's not like I've visited here very many times," George countered, "how would you describe where your grandma's house is?"

"I would say it's on the East end of town on Rivers Drive."

"Then his house is on the East end of town by the forest."

"Sounds mysterious."

George smiled.

About half an hour to forty minutes later was were at the front door of a log cabin that lay down a very long and quiet street. I was absolutely freezing from our walk and ran up the steps to the house as George followed me. George knocked on the door three times before it opened and the man who had brought in the thick book on werewolves stood in the doorway.

"You!" I exclaimed.

George turned to me. "Do you know everyone in this town."

I crossed my arms. "No," I said cooly. "He donated a werewolf book to the book store and it's called being friendly. Try it sometime."

"Why would I need to be friendly when I have you, Kate, and Jason. Oh and Marcus right here."

"Hey," Marcus said.

"Hi," I said.

"She took the book you know," Marcus said.

George hurriedly looked around before grabbing my arm and pulling me inside the house.

"She took the book home with her," Marcus said again as he shut the door to the house.

"Stalker," I muttered.

"Good choice," George said. "I was kinda hoping she would, the moonshine day is coming up."

"What's this moonshine day everyone keeps on talking about?" I asked. "Is it just some party I wasn't cool enough to be invited to?"

"Wait, Conall and Nick talked about a moonshine day?" George asked.

"Yes," I said. "So did Haley, Ryan, Ellie, Evan, Matthew, and Fred."

George turned to Marcus and the later nodded. "I've been keeping my eye on them for a while now."

Stupid conversations about stuff I don't know about. It seemed like no matter who I seemed to be with, they knew something that I didn't. And being in the dark isn't very fun.

"I'm starting to really hate this town," I muttered.

"Kelsea!" Marcuse yelled into the house.

A black haired girl entered the room. Now everyone was wearing a black leather jacket but me. Another thing I never received the memo about, matching jackets.

"Kelsea," Marcus said. "See if Mom or Dad have an extra crossbow and we probably need two pouches of Silver Weed powder for George and Red."

"Why don't you do it yourself," Kelsea complained but she turned around and seemed to do what Marcus had told her.

"That was my darling younger sister," Marcus said.

"She's a charmer," George said.

"Tell me about it."

Kelsea came back into the room with two small red pouches and handed them to Marcus. "Mom has a silver dagger and some arrows," Kelsea told Marcus.

"What are you guys hunting?" I asked.

Kelsea looked shocked and turned to George, "She doesn't know."

It wasn't a question.

George shook his head.

"Great left out again," I muttered sitting down on a wooden chair. "And just when I was almost not left out."

"You need to tell her, before she joins the pack," Kelsea warned. "It's not a good thing to keep people in the dark forever."

And with that Kelsea left the room.

"I like that girl," I said with a smile and the two boys turned towards me. "she knows whats she's talking about."

"You'll know soon enough Red," George promised.

"Well why you're having this little meeting that I know nothing about, I can go visit Haley or something."

"I thought they were at Cross Country."

"I'll find them," I said standing up.

"We took my car up here," George said. "you'll probably have to walk around for an hour or two in the cold to find them, that is if you even find them."

"Fine," I said with a huff. "but can we at least talk about something that I know about while we're here?"

"Like what?" Marcus asked.

"I don't know," I said. "like the presidential election."

"That was three years ago," George pointed out.

"Well do you think that our current president will stay in office?"

"Yes."

"These you go, now we've talked about it."

Silence.

"Now what do we talk about?" Marcus asked.

"I don't know," I said. "be creative, think of something yourself."

"I hear the bakery in town is really good," George said.

"Don't they have cupcakes?" I asked.

Marcus nodded.

"I love cupcakes!" I exclaimed.

"This is really boring," George said quickly.

"You're boring," I countered. "and unoriginal."

"You are mate," Marcus agreed.

"Ha! We win."

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Stop smirking," George said.

"It's hard when your a winner," I said with a smirk.

"You're both complete idiots."

"Why thank you."


	7. The Books Secret

Soon I realized two things. One, George and Marcus were never around when I was hanging out with Haley, Ryan, Conall, Nick, Fred, Ellie, Evan, and Matthew. And two, Haley, Ryan, Conall, Nick, Fred, Ellie, Evan, and Matthew were never around when I was hanging out with George and Marcus. It was unsettling to say the least.

Being in Fairy Tale was like a high speed roller coster ride. In one day I made two friends, three days after that they always ditched me, then I met this weird guy with a giant book, a day after that I met seven new people, and then two days after that George came to town and introduced me to Marcus, and they both hate the new friends I made.

At least in the essay about what I did for the summer - which the english teacher I get will probably make me do - I'll have something dramatic to write about.

"Yah Kate," I told her through the phone. "he's like totally different."

"What do you mean by different?"

"He's wearing a black leather jacket, is serious all the time, and hates all my new friends."

Kate snorted, "George, serious all the time?"

"I know," I complained. "it's like this forest air has made him change personalities all together."

"Maybe he's being possessed by a vampire and your friends just happen to have some on the tastiest blood in town. Wait! I know he's an immortal wizard and your friends wont give him the last golden starfish that will let him return to his planet!"

I laughed betraying my feelings.

"Stop it!" I protested. "There's really something wrong with George!"

Kate sighed from the other side of the phone. "He's probably just in a funk or something," She assured me. "honestly, he was acting pretty weird the day before he left to visit you. Maybe he just wants to impress his friend or something. I don't know, boys are stupid. Just give him sometime to adjust and he'll probably return to the stupid yet funny George we all know."

"You should help write the Dear Ashley column in the school newspaper."

Kate laughed from the other end of the phone. "Shut up."

"Seriously you would be really good at it."

"Yah, fine, whatever." She sighed from the other end of the phone. "You have any other issues?"

"Besides my friends ditching me for a Cross Country team I know doesn't exist?"

"They ditch you for an imaginary Cross Country team?"

"Yah I know!" I cried out. "And all they do is hangout together and talk about some moonshine day."

"What's a moonshine day?"

"I have no clue, and what's worse is that George and his friend Marcus talk about it to."

"Maybe Fairy Tale has an extinct language that all the teenagers talk in."

I laughed. "I was guessing that it was some party I wasn't invited to."

"Sounds more reliable," Kate said, "Anyways I have to go now, Mom's making me go grocery shopping with her."

"Gasp! Oh no! You might die."

"Be quiet. Oh, and next time we're talking about my issues."

I laughed. "Whatever you say. Bye."

"Bye."

I ended the call and set my phone down on my desk. Kate was probably right, George was probably just trying to impress Marcus who had probably always hated Conall and everyone else. This whole phase thing would pass and George would come to his right mind.

He had to.

I sat down at my desk and opened my laptop. My history was filled with searches on werewolves - and of course, Facebook - and anything that had to do with the symbol that was on the book.

The book had become fascinating and exciting, telling tales of werewolves throughout history. There secret roles in the crusades, how they helped in the scientific revolution. They were brave and loyal but like all humans could become evil and bloodthirsty. Reading the book Marcus had given me - since my last encounter with Marcus, I knew he had given it to _me_ - I felt like it was a real book, a book on the borderline of fantasy and reality. Of course, werewolves couldn't be real but the book wove them into history making them sound real.

Another thing that seemed real over the passing days was a meaning behind the symbol on the book. I had no clue where to start with the triangle and circle so instead I researched on the outline of the flower. Which was unmistakably hard. It could be anything from Moon Glow, a rare plant that bloomed delicate white flowers and glowed in the moonlight, to Alfalfa, a leguminous plant with clover like leaves and bluish flowers. In other words, I was getting no where with this research.

I sighed and logged off my computer. I swiveled in my chair till I faced the book and the pouch of crushed Silver Weed Kelsea had given me the other day. It was kinda like they fit together, the Silver Weed and book.

I picked up the book and placed it on my lap before I flipped to where I had left off. Oh yes, the American Revolution.

"_It was a very simple matter,"_ the book started. _"that the Americans would revolt against Britain. They had just had there first taste of freedom and many did not like King George at all, _("Ha! Take that George.") _so it was reasonable when a werewolf himself, George Washington became an important general and later the first President of the United States of America. There were other presidents before him but not being werewolves themselves and not having any werewolf advisors, they didn't have much sense and didn't run a very good nation. But back to the matter itself, it was very reasonable to revolt against Britain._

_They were violent and controlling. Like the vampires, but even vampires have good sides to them and so did Britain. It just wouldn't make a very good point to tell you them if I'm talking about the American Revolution._

_The American was bloody but it gave birth to many heroes in American History. George Washington, The Minutemen, Paul Revere, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Samuel Adams, and many more old men that no one really cares deeply about._

_Now I could tell all about the battles and who won - which is quiet obvious - but I won't. The only thing you really need to know about the American Revolution is that George Washington was a werewolf himself and lead to most of the werewolves to come to America. Many whom's descendants live on today._

I shut the book. Well that was short and boring.

I picked up the bag of crushed Silver Weed to look at but instead clumsily spilled some on the book instead.

Great.

I picked the book by its spine and started to shake all the dust out, once I was done I would flip to a random page and try again. I was halfway through the book when something weird happened.

I was now wiping the dust off the books - which really lead to the dust sticking to the pages more - and grey letters started appearing. I stopped what I was doing instantly and looked at the page.

The Silver Weed seemed to be seeping into the pages revealing messy grey handwriting and what seemed to be a dairy. I spilled more Silver Weed into the book and rubbed it over the next few pages until the whole page was covered in the same messy grey handwriting.

Then I started to read:


	8. Mr Moon's Diary

_August 8,_

_It has come to my attention that there are signs of werewolves inhabiting the area. The earlier pages of the book have shone me the signs of a person being a werewolf and I have begun to connect them to people. Young Henry Johnson seems very suspicious. He's excellent at sports, is very protective of his friends, and can be very aggressive. I have suspicions of an Alfa Male._

_Kiana Merryton is also another suspect. She had been married to Landon Merryton for quiet some time and has a son but she seems to be scared of silver objects and tries to keep them out of her house. They eat with wooden utensils._

_Another suspect I have is Isaac Keith, he may be the town priest but he never seems to be around during the full moon._

_More suspects are Jenna Larson, Daniel Mulberry, Athena Smith, Kenneth Smith, Mark Blase, Amanda Herbert and Timothy Young._

_I know this is a long list of suspects and I do not expect them all to be werewolves for that would be a great number. But they all show one or more signs of being a werewolf. Except for Mar Blase, I just do not like him and wish him to be a werewolf._

_Of course there is no immediate proof that any of these suspect are werewolves as I have not seen any of them transform into werewolves and I hope I do not see them. Yet in the future I might need to take a picture of one of them transforming as I do not want the town to be in danger because of a werewolf._

_But all this snooping could make one of the suspect suspicious and put my whole mission in jeopardy which, in this case, could be lethal._

_I must work on my suspicions in secret without any outside help._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr. Moony_

_August 12,_

_Henry Johnson Jr._

_Kiana Merryton_

_Isaac Keith_

_Jenna Larson - No_

_Daniel Mulberry_

_Athena Smith_

_Kenneth Smith - No_

_Mark Blase - No_

_Amanda Herbert - No_

_Timothy Young_

_Four out of my ten original suspects have been proven to not be werewolves, and unfortunately that includes the dreaded Mark Blase. Unfairly I might decided. I have half a mind to place him back on the list for the fun of it._

_In the last four days I have been carefully observing my suspects for any signs of Lycanthropy, or know as the supernatural transformation of a person into a wolf. So far, no actual transformations have been expected or observed and I have been conducting small tests around Fairy Tale. Most of which have crossed of Jenna Larson and Kenneth Smith off the list of suspected werewolves. Kenneth's younger sister Athena seems to show more signs than her brother of Lycanthropy._

_Athena Smith has connections with Henry Johnson Jr and Kiana Merryton, the alleged wooden utensil user. I shall research and test Kiana Merryton next._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr. Moon_

_August 20,_

_I placed a silver spoon on the sidewalk in front Kiana Merryton today. She gasped and hurriedly walked around it. Kiana Merryton is now a believed werewolf but I cannot be sure. I must observe her habits further._

_Young Henry Johnson seems not to be scared of silver but I have yet to see him touch a speck of it. He is more wary and cautious of it than scared._

_Isaac Keith seems to be plain and dull. He passed the silver and full moon test and is no longer suspected as a werewolf. _

_Daniel Mulberry is still has a fifty-fifty chance of being a werewolf. He seems never to fail or pass my tests and I am undoubtedly confused. He is truly a mystery. He runs the local shoe shop downtown by the library and seems to be truly devoted. He doesn't have a wife or a girlfriend and certainly not any kids. He lives by himself and has the most unruly black hair yet everything else about him is bland. He will be a hard case to crack._

_Lastly, Timothy Young is a fifty-fifty just like Daniel Mulberry. He runs a dental practice on the west side of town by Godmother's, the best place to eat original family recipe food. There is nothing unusual about his practice or any of his dental assistances yet Timothy seems to be suspicious of Lycanthropy himself. He seems to take monthly hiking trips on the weeks of the full moon and I am suspicious of if these trips being more than hiking. He may not be going far but to the forest surrounding Fairy Tale, where I suspect the werewolf pack meet every month. I shall end this diary entry with my revised list of suspects:_

_Henry Johnson Jr._

_Kiana Merryton_

_Daniel Mulberry_

_Athena Smith_

_Timothy Young_

_These are the five lasting suspects._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr. Moon_

_September 1,_

_An unusual chill has settled on the town today. The streets are filled with fog and I have a horrible feeling that something bad will happen today. I have not progressed with the tests any farther and everyone stays in the same spot. My friend Logan, has been trusted inside the circle and has not made any progress himself. He has taken half my list and I other other half consisting of: Kiana Merryton, Athena Smith, and Timothy Young._

_But with such bad weather in our midsts, I can not do any more tests today. Instead I have devoted most of my time to research. Yet I soon grew bored of that and now I am devoting my time to a new hobby away from werewolves - some people have informed me I am becoming a bit carried away with it. Photography is my new hobby and the mist has actually let me take some beautiful yet chilling photos. Like of a fog surrounded church with it's bell tower sticking out._

_In my walk around town I have decided that I do not know much about the history of Fairy Tale. I took a stop at the library and went through town records to find absolutely nothing on the founding of the town and not much on our ancestors. There are some records of the Godmother family and then a whole jumble of divorces and weddings._

_The background of the town seemed to be very sketchy. Some parts have no papers on them what so ever while some seemed to be jumbled up messes with twenty extra pages on them._

_I wonder what happened to all the other papers._

_I must find out._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr. Moon_

_September 6,_

_A kid was taken today._

_He was snatched from the west boarder of Story Book Woods about mid morning. Witnesses says they heard howls and weird noises. The nappers were very fast._

_It is around the full moon week and the werewolves can change at anytime now and have extreme bursts if energy. In there human and wolf form. I must be extremely careful in investigating the matter. I must only choose wise people to trust. Thankfully I already have a list of suspects._

_Remaining Suspects:_

_Henry Johnson Jr._

_Kiana Merryton_

_Daniel Mulberry_

_Athena Smith_

_This werewolf situation is more drastic that I expected. Logan and I must investigate the matter farther._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr. Moon_


	9. The First Full Moon

It was a sunny day. Light flooded above and through the trees that loomed over the town while a soft inviting breeze carried the fresh forest air smell you never got in San Fransico to me. I was sitting on top of the roof of Marcus's house and looking at the scarce rooftops in his neighborhood.

In a way, I was processing everything in my mind. The whole George situation, Mr. Moon's Diary, the book, and Conall and everyone else. A lot of things had gone wrong in the two short weeks I had been here. Maybe I was just bad luck or something.

I read a book on bad luck once. It was about a Greek girl who was immortal and bad luck herself. In the neighboring town though, an immortal Greek boy was good luck. Over history they would run into each other occasionally and bad luck fell in love with good luck. Eventually good luck admitted to bad luck that he was in love with her too. After that they traveled through history together always balancing the other out. I found the book so romantic and has always been a favorite of mine. And if I was bad luck, I hope I have a hot good luck to equal me out.

I heard the screen door open somewhere behind me on the ground and I waited for Marcus or George to climb up here. I don't even know why I was here. What was I doing with Marcus and George anyways? I felt even more left out with them than I felt left out with Conall and everyone else.

I heard the ladder hit the edge of the roof and was surprised when I saw Kelsea climb onto the roof. She stayed low to the logs and then sat down on the peak of the roof next to me. We sat in silence, watching the birds fly over the city.

I knew Kelsea a bit less then I knew Marcus. But I liked her better. She was mysterious, with long pin straight black hair, sapphire eyes that seemed to be able to look through any disguise, a thin tall body, and faint freckles on her cheeks.

All I had was long, curly, dark brown hair, light blue eyes, a clear complexion, and somewhat straight posture. I was exceedingly average, besides the blue eyes, while everyone in this town seemed to either be breath takingly beautiful, exceptionally kind, or have some deep mysterious back story. If only Mom had stayed in this town, maybe some of these traits would have rubbed off on me.

"Today is an important day," Kelsea started.

"Is it?" I asked nonchalantly.

She nodded ever so slightly. "You won't find your friends today. It's the Moonshine day."

"Oh right."

"You probably won't find us later either," Kelsea continued.

"Because it's the Moonshine day," I said.

Kelsea nodded. "You'll find that not many people go out at night on the Moonshine day," She said slowly. "You probably shouldn't either."

"Is that so."

"There are dangerous things out there."

"I'm aware."

Kelsea turned towards me and looked me straight in the eye. "Are you?" She asked.

"In your sense, I guess not," I said slowly, "as I am still unaware of what you hunt."

Kelsea nodded and then switched topics entirely, "How long have you know George."

"Since Kindergarten. We both grew up in San Fransico and have gone to the same neighborhood school."

Kelsea nodded ever so slightly.

"How long have you know him?" I asked.

"Marcus brought him to Fairy Tale for the first time when I was in third grade," Kelsea said turning back to the horizon. "so you guys were in fourth grade."

"I never remember him leaving for a trip during forth grade."

Kelsea tucked a strand of her long black hair behind her ear. "It was over thanksgiving break, he probably told you he was visiting family."

"Oh."

Kelsea nodded and we returned to silence.

I liked Kelsea a whole lot more than I liked Marcus and the new George. She might be secretive but she always seemed to tell me everything she could in the short conversations we held every so often. Which is about four, including this one. In different circumstances, we could have been friends. But I felt as if she would always be keeping me at arms length, like she would never fully trust me.

With Haley, Ryan, and everyone else they were carefree and funny. I always knew they would be loyal even through the arguments we were sure to have. They would always be there and ready to crack a joke to make the situation lighter.

There was a shuffling noise and Kelsea turned towards me completely.

"Can I ask you something?" She asked.

"Sure."

A strand of her black hair had fallen into her face again and she tucked it back behind her ear. "You and George aren't dating, are you?"

Normally I would have laughed in anyones face if they had asked me a question like that. But with George's recent personality change, and it being Kelsea, I didn't find it very funny at all. It was unexpected, but not funny.

"Of course not," I answered her. "why would you think that?"

A faint blush appeared on her cheeks. "It just seemed like it when he first came here with you."

"We're just good friends, that's all," I assured her. "After hanging out with him since Kindergarten, I don't even want to think about dating him. It would just be weird."

Kelsea nodded. "I suppose it would be a little weird if you started dating your best friend from Kindergarten."

I smiled. "Why? You interested in him?"

Her cheeks grew redder. "It doesn't matter," She said, "it's not like he could ever like me."

"Why?" I asked her.

Her face grew positively redder than before - now it somewhat resembled the color of a tomato. "It's just that him and Marcus have been friends forever and I'm just the little sister."

"And in Harry Potter, Ginny ended up with Harry. What's your point? Just because your a year younger doesn't mean that he can not not like you. If that makes sense."

"It does." Kelsea smiled. "Thanks Red."

I smiled. "It was no biggie. I just love setting George up on dates, since he can't get any women on his own."

Kelsea laughed and gave me a hug. Which, in my opinion, was a little awkward coming from a girl I barely knew.

"I should go now," Kelsea said, grinning ear to ear. "and you know, prove how un-little-sisterly I am."

"Good luck," I said.

Kelsea once again lay low to the logs as she climbed off the roof and onto the latter. Seconds later, I heard the ladder being lowered again and then the swish of the screen door.

Kelsea and George. I felt like George's new personality went very well with Kelsea. They would make a good couple. The new mysterious George with the beautiful, doll-like yet also mysterious Kelsea. Yep, it fits. They officially make a great couple.

I had always thought that Kate and George would be a great couple. Conversation came easy to them and they would often have a bunch of new inside jokes and conversations that Jason and I never had. Plus, they looked good together, which was an upside. George with hiss tall with short brown hair and blue eyes and Kate with hight at least four inches shorter than George with long straight brown hair and auburn eyes that glowed with warmth.

I was also not the only one who thought George and Kate would hook up. About 75 percent of the school thought they were going to hook up or already had, and that included Jason and I. We never spoke to Kate or George about it of course, and it came a surprise when one day Kate told me George was in love with someone that wasn't her - despite the rumors. But that had been years ago and I figured who ever this girl was, George was over it and Kelsea could make her move whether she decided to or not. I hope it was the former answer.

I hugged my legs closer to my body an focused on the front yard below me. George and Marcus had come out of the house and Kelsea was not far behind them. Kelsea waved up to me and I waved back while the guys were oblivious. They were joking about something and Marcus was holding something in his arm. It was hidden in his hand so I could not tell what it was.

I decided to join them and slipped off the back of the roof and onto the box that surrounded the water heater. I jumped off the water heater and then made my way around the house and into the front yard.

"Hey Red!' George called.

A football had somehow materialized as I had climbed off the roof and George and Marcus were passing it to each other.

"Hey guys," I said with a quick look in Kelsea's direction. "What are you doing?"

Marcus shook the football in his hand a little, showing it to me. "A man's sport," He said before passing it to George.

"We're just passing a football around," George said with a smile. "think fast."

I caught the football that come towards me with ease.

"Man's sport my ass," I said.

Kelsea laughed.

I passed the football to Marcus. "Okay," Marcus admitted. "a somewhat man's sport."

"You better believe it."

Marcus smiled and winked to me as he passed George the football once again.

I rolled my eyes but smiled none the less.

The sun was now starting to set in the sky and blue began to fade into oranges and pinks. Soon the sky would fade into a deep violet then black and the stars would start shinning. After that the full moon would come out. The perfect time to read about werewolves if you ask me.

I had learned from the book that Mr. Moon's Diary could be read in the moonlight too so I didn't have to waste all my crushed Silver Weed. Which I guess didn't really matter because I had no clue as to what the Silver Weed was.

"It's getting dark," George called out to Marcus.

Sure enough I had been lost in my thoughts long enough for the sky to start turning its deep purple color.

"We should really go now," Marcus said turning to me.

"Oh, okay," I said.

"It's a full moon Red," George called out. "you shouldn't be walking home alone."

"I think I'll manage."


	10. The First Full Moon (Guys)

"Where's Red?" George asked.

I looked up from where I was searching around in the cabinet. "I think she's on the roof," I told him.

"Why would she be up there?"

"It might be the fact that you haven't told her we're hunters so she feels left out. She also doesn't know what this moonshine day is either so she also feels left out about that and kinda lonely considering who her other friends are."

George looked at me. "I want to tell her, but you know I can't."

"Yah, yah," I said with the wave of my hand. "but it'll just hurt you in the end."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's obvious that your into her George, anyone but her and Kelsea can see it," I said.

_And anyone but Red and George can see that Kelsea is into you._

George blushed. "Is it really that obvious?"

I shrugged and took out a bag of chips. "Yep."

Of course it was obvious that George Hunter like Red Hills. George was always following her around like a lost puppy. He always watched her when she was in the same room as him. He even hated that other gang of people - Conall and everyone else - more than I hated them because he though that Red could fall for them. It was actually quiet obvious that George Hunter was in love with one of his best friends.

Another thing that was obvious was that Kelsea Juniper was in love with George Hunter. It was subtle - more subtle that George. She would light up whenever George was in the same room. She rarely questioned him and looked at him with a longing far way look like if she came to close, he would disappear all together. So it was quiet obvious that Kelsea Juniper was in love with George Hunter.

"Does everyone have there clothes packs hidden in the correct spots?" I asked.

Haley, Ryan, Ellie, Nick, and Evan nodded. Matthew and Fred were mysteriously missing.

"Where the heck are Matthew and Fred?" I asked rubbing my temples with my forefingers.

"They left a while ago," Evan told me kicking the forest ground with his foot.

"Of course they did," I muttered. "and they probably won't be coming back until an hour before moonlight strikes."

"It's them," Haley said. "it will probably be half an hour before moonlight strikes."

"Just my luck."

"Hey," Ryan said to Haley suddenly. "Did Red go over to Marcus' house today?"

Haley shrugged.

"You know," Nick said. "she's friends with that new guy. George Hunter or whatever. And he's friends with Marcus and Kelsea. What if they're taking her on the hunt tonight!"

"Impossible," Haley scoffed. "they would of had to tell her everything and I don't see Red avoiding us."

"In fact it's the other way around," Ryan said.

"Maybe she's just trying to throw us off and then bam! You're dead," Nick said.

"I highly doubt that Red's a hunter," Haley said.

"You never know," Nick pointed out.

"Why do you even care so much!" Ellie snapped. "It's better to just avoid her and ignore her."

"Yah, but then we would be you," Haley said.

Ellie glared at her. "At least when she calls us al freaks and joins the hunters because of what we are, I won't be the one who gets hurt."

"Yah, well some of us like to try this thing called being friendly," Haley snapped.

Ellie stepped foreword and growled.

"That's enough!" I yelled.

Ellie backed off with a glare.

Sometimes, I hate being the Alfa.

"I'm going outside," Kelsea yelled.

"Don't get attacked by any werewolves!"

Kelsea turned and glared at me. "I'm just climbing onto the roof to talk to Red," She said.

"Why?"

"Because you are guys!"

"I kind of like being a guy," George said from behind me.

Kelsea took one look at George and screamed before stomping out of the house.

"Dude," George said, "What's her problem?"

"We're here!" Matthew called out as he and Fred ran through the trees.

They were gasping and had probably run about two miles or so back.

"What took you so long?" I asked.

"We ran down to Brave Point and stuck our clothes over there."

"You're going to jump into Swan Lake again?" I asked.

Matthew and Fred both grinned and nodded. "Did we miss anything here?"

"No," Evan said, "just a cat fight." Both Haley and Ellie glared at him, "or a dog fight."

"Can we just get going?" I asked. "we're late as it is. I don't want to transform to close to town, remember what happened last time?"

Everyone tried not to look at Ellie. "I remember," Ellie said quietly.

"Good, now come on," I slung my back pack over my shoulder and we all started hiking further into the woods.

"You want to go pass the football around?" I asked George.

He shrugged.

"Come on," I said, "it'll give you a chance to show off to Red. She sitting on the roof with a perfect view of the front yard.

George smiled. "Suddenly," he said, "This is a lot more interesting."

George and I were about to walk out the front door when Kelsea came through the back one.

"Where are you guys going?" She asked grinning ear to ear.

George lifted up the football in his hand. "We were just going to pass this around," He said.

"Goody," Kelsea said sarcastically.

"Well than you can stay in here like the spoil sport you are," I told her.

She rolled her eyes but followed us out the door. "Heck if you're leaving me," She said.

Once outside George passed me the football and so forth until Red appeared behind me. She was wearing a long sleeved cream colored shirt that stopped right above the waistband of her skinny jeans, she had a thick dark brown belt on and a red beanie rested on top of her long, curly, dark brown hair. She had a dreamy look in her beautiful blue eyes. If I was George, I would fancy her too.

"Hey guys," Red said with a quick look at Kelsea, "what are you doing?"

I shook the football in my hand a little before passing it to George. "A man's sport," I said.

"We're just passing a football around," George said with a smile. "think fast."

Red caught the football with ease. _Lucky catch._

"Man's sport my ass," She said.

Kelsea laughed.

Red passed the football to me

"Okay," I admitted. "a somewhat man's sport."

"You better believe it."

I smiled and winked at Red as I passed George the football once again.

Red rolled here eyes but smiled showing off her perfect white teeth.

George looked kind of angry.

He threw the football harder at me for the rest of the day. And soon the sunset vanished and the stars started coming out.

"It's getting dark," George called out.

"We should really go now," I said turning to Red. It was time for the hunt.

"Oh, okay," Red said quietly.

"It's a full moon Red," George called out to her. "you shouldn't be walking home alone."

"I think I'll manage," She yelled back.

And she started walking away.

"I feel kind of bad for that," George said walking towards me.

"She doesn't know yet," I told him, "she can't come anyways, it's too dangerous for someone that isn't trained.

George nodded.

An earth shattering howl came from inside me and I doubled over in pain. _The Wolf was taking control._

Somewhere in the forest the rest of the pack lie, waiting for there own changes to take over them.

The twigs of the trees dug into my face as I thrashed around.

I was the first to change, always the first.

I was the Alfa.


	11. Everything Wrong With Ellie

"And stupid Ellie was all over him all night!" Haley complained. "You should have seen her! She was practically giving Ryan a lap dance right then and there."

"Ewww gross," I said. "now that's a picture I would like to burn."

"Please," Haley said rolling her eyes. "you didn't see it."

"Gaaaaaaaaaah! Now I will be scared forever!"

Haley rolled her eyes again. "As if, I have way more scaring memories that Ellie and Ryan."

"Why do you hate Ellie all of a sudden anyways?" I asked Haley looking up from my magazine.

"Last night she growled at me! She! Ellie! Growled at me!"

"Okay?"

"She was questioning my judgement! My loyalties!" Haley yelled pounding a fist on the cashier counter.

"Woah Haley," I said quickly. "calm down. You might break the table."

Haley lifted up her fist and sure enough, there was a small indent of her fist on the wooden counter. "How strong are you?" I asked amazed.

"Stronger than I look," Haley said. There was an edge to her voice.

I brushed it off as being mad with Ellie.

Truth be told I don't like Ellie much either. She's kind of mean, she doesn't pay attention to anything or anyone and her aura of arrogance is twice as big as anyone else's. I frankly did not know why Ellie hung out with Conall, Haley, Ryan, and everyone else; she always struck me as the type to hang out with Cindy Owens and Aurora Rose. From how Nick described the two of them, Ellie was a perfect fit. So it puzzled me when later in the day when Haley and I met up with everyone else that Ellie was in the seat next to Ryan.

We were now at Godmother's sitting in one of the tables in the back.

"So Red," Nick said. "what have you been up to with that idiot whats-his-face that came into the bookstore a couple days ago? Hope you're not cheating on me."

I rolled my eyes. "Just been hanging out with _George_, Marcus, and Kelsea since none of you guys seem to like me enough to hang out with me."

"You've been hanging out with Marcus and Kelsea?" Evan asked in disbelief.

"Let me guess," I said tiredly. "long time enemies, hate each others guts, and now are thinking up ways to stop me from hanging out with them."

"It's like she can read minds!" Evan said.

I smiled and took a sip of the lemonade in front of me.

They always knew what to say.

"Well at least your not cheating on me," Nick said wrapping his arm around my shoulders."

I gave him a smug look and took another sip of my lemonade. "oh no," I told him, "I'm cheating on you."

Nick looked at me in then shock and then turned to Conall. "Look at this! They're brain washing her!"

Conall rolled his eyes. "Lay off her," Conall said. "you guys aren't actually dating."

Nick smirked and wiggled his eyebrows. "But I know who want's to date her."

_Smack!_

Conall had thrown his wrapped up fork, knife, and napkin at Nick, which hit him straight n the face.

"I never said it was you!"

Nick removed his arm from around my shoulders.

"You don't live here," Haley whispered from the seat to my right. "you can stop being friends with them whenever you want."

I looked at both Nick and Conall. Nick had somehow found a bowl of peas and him and Matthew - who was to his left - were launching peas at Conall.

"I might have to do that," I whispered back to Haley.

We laughed and watched the war between Conall, Nick, and Matthew. It was actually becoming pretty decent. Conall had stolen the little thing of packaged salts and would rip the top of of them before launching it at Nick and Matthew. Or course, that just lead to a bigger mess on the table and I wondered if we would be kicked out for this. Probably.

And just as I was thinking that someone cleared there throat behind me.

I turned around to be face to stomach with a tall elderly woman with grey hair and a red shirt on.

"Are you dears ready to order?" She asked kindly. She didn't even ask about the mess.

"I would like a grilled cheese sandwich," Haley said.

"BLT," I said.

"Hamburger," Ryan said.

"Salad," Ellie said. She was sitting on Ryan's lap.

How she got there was a mystery.

"A french dip sandwich," Fred said.

"And three roast beef sandwiches," Conall said.

The waitress wrote all of our orders down on a pad and then left with a friendly smile. When I turned back the table was clear of salt and peas and Nick bowl of peas had mysteriously disappeared.

No one else acknowledged that something weird had happened so I decided to keep my mouth shut.

"So, have you talked to Kate lately?" Haley asked.

"Yah," I said, "she's doing good, holding up the fort in San Fransico. I think she said that she was going to send me a box of Ghirardelli chocolate. So now I have something to look foreword to."

"And share with a certain Haley?"

"Hmmmm," I said pretending to be thinking about it. "well, sharing is caring."

"Yes it is."

"So, I suppose I can share some of it with you."

Haley smiled. "Thank you."

"But you better not tell anyone else because I actually want to eat some of the chocolate Kate will send me."

"Nah," Haley said waving her hand. "you don't need any of that stuff."

"Then you don't get any either."

"Oh no, you need chocolate all the time. Chocolate makes the world go round and not all flat like Columbus and ancient people thought."

"Yah. And even if you did fall off the end of the world in a boat, couldn't you just like fly off into space and be like a space pirate," I said.

"That would be awesome!" Haley exclaimed. "Im-"

"Hey guess what!" Nick interrupted. Haley glared at him. "My favorite animal is a wolf!"

Haley and I just stared at him.

I turned his head away with my hand and then faced Haley once more. "You were saying," I said.

"Never mind," Haley said, "Nicks idiocy made me forget what I was about to say."

"Here comes the food," Evan announced.

And sure enough or elderly waitress came back and gave us all our lunches and left with a big smile. Ellie scowled down at her salad.

Was she really mad at her salad?

"What's wrong with your salad, Ellie?" Fred asked her.

"It's too leafy," Ellie said.

"Are you serious," Evan said rolling his eyes.

"You're worse than Cindy and Aurora," Fred said with a groan.

"Are you sure?" Nick asked. "I don't really know if anyone could be worse than stuck up Aurora Rose."

"What about Cindy's stepsisters?" Conall asked.

"Oh my Gosh! They're horrible. You guys win, someone can be worse than Aurora Rose," Nick said.

"Will Aurora Rose always be your example for a mean stuck up girl?" I asked Nick.

He nodded. "Pretty much, yah."

"That seems a bit harsh," I pointed out. "she could be a misunderstood sweet girl."

"She's just like Ellie, she's not misunderstood and she's bitter," Nick said quietly to me.

I turned away from Nick and looked at Ellie. Ellie was still on Nicks lap and eating her salad while Ryan was trying to find some way to eat his hamburger without it dripping on him and Ellie. I knew Ellie was bitter and not very friendly but as I looked at her, she seemed a bit sad. Maybe she was just misunderstood. Maybe this was all a cover and there was actually nothing wrong with Ellie at all.


	12. Camp Out

"Why exactly are we doing this?" I asked as Haley took a bag of marshmallows out of her backpack.

"Because its fun," Evan said, "Red, you need to learn to live a little."

I rolled my eyes. "Evan, I know how to have fun, I just don't see why we're doing this tonight."

"Is there something wrong with tonight?" Matthew asked.

"No," I snapped. "can't a girl just wonder why were having a campout tonight."

"Not without being judged," Evan said.

I crossed my arms. "Well then, I see how it is."

Ellie rolled her eyes. I was kind of surprised that Ellie was actually here. We were in a clearing around Brave Point. Conall and Evan had brought a couple tents while Haley and Ryan had brought firewood and matches. We each had our own sleeping bags and some snacks for the night.

"Nick, Matthew, and Evan, go set up the tents," Conall ordered.

They both went over to Conall's truck and picked up the tent making stuff.

"Haley, Ryan, and Fred can unpack he food," Conall said.

They both went over to the backpacks.

"Ellie," Conall said shooting a look in her direction. "you, you just keep on doing what you're doing."

Ellie gave him a thumbs up from where she was sitting on a log.

"And Red you start the fire."

I looked at him for a moment and raised my eyebrows. _Was he really telling me what to do?_

He motioned to the fire.

I rolled my eyes and walked over to the fire pit. A box of matches was sitting on one of the larger rocks that made the border of the fire pit. Paper, twigs, and logs were already set up in the fire pit and I struck up a match and threw it in the fire. I had to blow on the fire a bit until a log started burning and a minute later the fire was blazing bright.

The sky was starting to turn a blueish-purple color and a star or two hung in the sky. Nick and Matthew were finishing setting up a tent while Haley, and Ryan were setting up food, and Evan and Fred were out looking for twigs.

By the time the sky was black and filled with a blanket of stars everyone was occupying a log. Ellie and Ryan were on the same log as was Haley and I, but besides that, everyone else was occupying there own log.

"Okay," Haley said sticking a fat marshmallow to the end of her stick. "Red you have never been to one of our campouts, so you must be initiated."

I nodded and Haley continued, "So we're going to draw sticks and whoever has the shortest one will decide your fate."

"Seems serious," I said with a smile.

"Indeed." Matthew said mysteriously.

"Okay, here are the sticks," Ryan said. He was holding eight long, thin toothpicks in one hand.

Everyone got up one by one and took a stick from Ryan until there were two left. Ellie's legs rested on Ryan's lap and she stared down at the two remaining sticks in his hand. She was enjoying being the last one to pick and was taking her own sweet time. Everyone knew by now, to not push Ellie and we waited in a long silence until she finally drew her own stick.

Everyone held up there stick and sure enough, Ellie had chosen wisely. She was left with the shortest stick and the biggest smirk.

I'm in for a ride.

"Okay," Ellie said with a smirk.

Haley shot me a sympathetic look.

"To prove your worthiness," Ellie continued. "you have to find the locket I lost at Brave Point."

"Are you serious, Ellie?" Evan asked. "It's pitch dark outside!"

"If the batteries still work," Ellie snapped, "it should glow in the dark."

"It's not that big of a deal guys," I said standing up and grabbing my black North Face jacket. "I'll just go and find it."

"Red," Conall said seriously, "you don't know Brave Point, it's impossible to find anything there. Especially in the dark."

"I'll be fine," I assured everyone. "its an initiation, it's not supposed to be easy."

"Here," Haley said handing me a small flashlight, "you'll need this."

I smiled at her, "Thanks."

Then I walked away from the marshmallows, the fire, and everyone else.

The forest was quiet, the only noise being my footsteps and the quiet songs of the crickets. The Redwood trees surrounded me as I walked towards where I thought Brave point was. I could still see the dull glow of the campfire.

As I walked farther the tree line started to thin out and the stars peaked through.

I loved the stars.

They were like magic, whenever I looked at them, the most wonderful feeling passed over me. I can't exactly explain the feeling, just that if I could, I would spend every second of the night staring at the stars. Being with the stars. They were beautiful- no gorgeous- no they were some word that didn't exist yet. They were mysterious.

And as I walked closer to Brave Point, I could see more and more of the stars.

Brave point was a small thin piece of land - big enough for one person to walk on - that jetted out about thirty feet into Swan Lake. Swan Lake was a big clear lake that was not in the middle of Story Book Forest, but not close to the town of Fairy Tale. Legend says that a girl used to live at the edge of Swan Lake and would turn into a swan from sunset to sunrise.

I walked across Brave point until I was at the very end and staring at me reflection in the water. Then I saw it.

It was a silver heart shaped locket, with a blue stone that glowed in the middle. And it was at the bottom of the lake.

Of course it was. I took of my sweatshirt, shirt, socks, and shoes and folded them into a neat pile. Then, without hesitation, I dove in. The water was icy cold and burned against my skin, but I got that refreshed awake feeling along with a numb teeth chattering one.

I took a deep breath before swimming down and grasping the locket in my hands. I spun around and kicked off the lake ground. I was feeling the need for air and just as I was halfway to the surface, something grabbed my leg. I nearly screamed but instead looked down.

A small metal band was connected to my foot and digging into my ankle, it was way to small. There was a small chain connecting it to the lake ground.

My lungs were just about bursting from the need for air and black spots clouded my vision.

Oh my God,

I was going to die.

I franticly reached for the surface to no avail. I could barely see and my body hit the lake ground with a numb thud.

It was over.

Then there was a splash and I was being lifted up by my unknown savior. My back hit Brave point and some unknown hands dragged me onto land.

"What happened?!" Someone was asking. They seemed far away.

"Oh my Gosh! Red!" Someone else cried.

"Is she breathing!"

"Oh my Gosh, I killed her! I killed a person! Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God!"

"Hurry, someone check her pulse."

Then I felt hands on me, but they felt numb and far away.

First they put a hand to my chest, and then they quickly checked my pulse.

After a minute I felt a presence by my lips. And a second after that, it was gone.

"Her breaths are shallow," Someone announced.

"Hurry, someone give her CPR!"

The hands were on me again and then it was like I was being pushed foreword.

I suddenly felt _everything_.

The sharp branches poking me, the scrapes on my arms and ankle, the bruise on my ankle, the pain in my lungs, the headache.

I rolled over and coughed up water and then lay there.

I was gasping for air and ached all over.

"Red!" Haley cried.

I was shivering.

"Wha- What happened?" I croaked.

"It was a trap," Conall whispered next to me. I realized he was the one who had saved me. "the hunters set it up for one of us."

I was staring into the flames of the fire lost in thought. A blanket was wrapped around my shoulders and my clothes had long ago dried.

A bruise was now visible around my ankle.

"Are you sure your okay?" Conall asked me again.

"I'm fine" I said.

Everyone but Conall and I were asleep now, as I could not go to sleep after almost dying. And I guess Conall couldn't sleep from saving me from almost dying.

I looked at everyone sleeping in there sleeping bags around the dying fire. We had all come to a mutual agreement to not tell anyone about what happened at Swan Lake.

Ellie had stayed quiet all evening after the incident and no one mentioned my initiation after that. But I did succeed in giving Ellie her locket back.

It think it just made her feel guiltier.

"Red, you should get some sleep," Conall insisted.

"I think you need sleep more than I do," I said. "dragging me onto Brave Point must have been exhausting."

He didn't smile. "I don't think I could sleep after what happened tonight."

"And you think I can?"

"They all managed to," Conall said nodding to the sleeping bodies."

"That's because they didn't nearly drown."


	13. After Effects

I felt like I was choking.

It was bright and sunny, and the birds were flying around happily calling out to each other.

Definitely choking.

Everyone was walking around with huge smiles on there faces, acting as if nothing in the world was wrong. There was nothing wrong with anyone.

Except for me.

Something changed that night. Sure I saw all the carefree happiness around me but I felt far away from it. I wasn't part of it. There was some invisible barrier that separated me from happiness and left me in the dark.

"You okay Red?" Conall asked looking down at me - since he was several inches taller.

I nodded.

We were walking around Fairy Tale, Conall's futile attempt to make me feel happiness again. I guess he thought he was the one who was supposed to bring me back to reality since he had pulled me out of the lake. Or maybe because he was a natural leader figure, either way it would take a lot more than a day and a walk around town to cheer me up.

"You want to go somewhere?" He asked me suddenly.

I shrugged.

"Well we're going there anyways."

His hand wrapped around my wrist and then he started running, dragging me behind him. I didn't feel like talking today so I just tried to keep up with Conall - since he was abnormal fast - as we ran through town and into one of the neighborhoods close to the forest. After lots of running - and lots of panting from my part - we ended up in front of a beige two story house.

It was average, no porch, a concrete walkway, and grass. Conall took me inside and we entered through the living room/dining room/kitchen. Open floor plans.

There were tow couches in the living room facing the fireplace and the tv hung above it. On a glass coffee table lay about ten issues of _Seventeen_. The dinning room was on raised hardwood, so there was a step to go up to it, and had your average wooden table and chairs around it. There were boxes of pizza on top of it. And lastly, the kitchen was just like the one in Grandma's house except for the pile of plates in the sink.

"You live here?" I asked.

Conall nodded. "But not by myself," He assured me. "Actually Ellie, Matthew, Nick, and Evan all live here with me. We all have our own rooms in the house."

"Oh."

"So Ellie has the living room today for whatever reason and we both know that we shouldn't bug her. So lets just go up to my room."

Isn't there like some rule for going up to a guys room? Like you have to be dating him or be like best friends. I'm pretty sure some law in the universe was made to prevent a girl who you've know for two weeks and saved from drowning, from going into your room the first time she comes to your house. There's got to be some rule right?

"Come on," Conall said leading me through a door parallel to the dinning room table I had over looked when taking in the room. We walked up the carpeted stairs and into a small hallway. There were five doors. One lead to a bathroom, one lead to an all green room, one had a bunch of noise coming from inside it, one was silent, and the last one, Conall opened.

Conall's room was a light beige color and decent sized. There was a desk and closet to the right, his bed pushed up against the left wall, and a window directly across from me. Papers were scattered everywhere and his computer lay open and on, on his desk.

"Sorry for the mess," Conall apologized. "I haven't had much time to clean up after myself."

"It's fine," I said quietly.

Conall smiled and walked over to his desk leaving me awkwardly standing in the doorway. Since it seemed like we wouldn't be leaving anytime soon, I walked over to his bed and awkwardly sat on it. His red blanket was soft and plush as I sat on it, and it kinda smelled like the forest.

"Is it legal to have five teenagers living in a house with no adults?" I asked as Conall started organizing the papers on his desk.

He shrugged. "No one's ever come and told us we couldn't," Conall said.

"Maybe no one knows," I suggested.

Conall shrugged. "I guess."

A silence filled the room and I turned to look out the window. The sun was still annoyingly happy and you could see the first top of Downtown Fairy Tale and tons of trees past the one story house across from Conall's. It was the top of the community center, I could tell even from inside Conall's bedroom. The community center of Fairy Tale is where the Garden Club met and Grandma spent most of her time.

I hadn't seen Grandma much since I had arrived here. She liked to spend unusually long hours at the community center or out on some plant searching adventure. Even when she was home, though, I was usually out with Conall, Haley, and Ryan, or George, Marcus, and Kelsea. George hadn't taken up my earlier offer of staying at Grandma's house with me and instead - as far as I know - was staying with Marcus and Kelsea instead.

Strangely I never saw Marcus, George, and Kelsea in town. They seemed to only stay in there log cabin by the woods and at the end of that narrow road. And if they only stayed there, I didn't see why Conall and everyone else would hate them so much. This whole feud between the two groups made me feel awkward and trapped. And now - unfortunately, regrettably, and every other sad word you can think of - I found myself relating to Bella from _Twilight,_ which made me want to shoot myself.

Bella is just to winy and unemotional. Her true vampire love left her for her to be safe, so this hot werewolf tried to make a move on her, so she tried to kill herself. If she think her life is bad, we can switch. I'd much rather fight some vampires and fall in love with one than be stuck in a stupid war between my two new friends and unable to feel happiness because I almost drowned.

Stupid Bella, stupid Conall, stupid Marcus, stupid Swan Lake, and stupid Fairy Tale.

If I had never come here than I would be having no issues! I would be on the beach of San Fransico with Kate or the Beach Boardwalk in Santa Cruz scared out of my wits because Kate dragged me into a haunted house. If I had listened to Mom and never agreed to stay with Grandma in this stupid town, then I would of had a normal summer vacation. And I would be happy not have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

And despite everything that is wrong with me because of that night, I don't blame Ellie. She was honestly shocked that I had gotten trapped underneath the lake and almost drowned. She had felt that horrifying stab of guilt thinking she had killed me, and was petrified. I honestly blamed myself for almost drowning more than her, she's near the end of my list with everyone else that was there during the camp out. I was the one to blame. I had actually gone in the water to fetch the necklace, I could have refused the initiation, I should have noticed the trap waiting to spring in the water, and I should have nicked the locket faster.

"Red, you okay?" Conall said snapping me from my thoughts like a bucket of ice cold water.

I turned away from the window and looked at him. His short brown hair was messed up and sticking out at odd ends and the papers on the desk in front of him were tidy and neat. I must have been lost in my thoughts longer than I thought.

I nodded, but telepathically sent Conall a message that no, I was not okay. But since Conall isn't a magical mind reader he believed my nod.

Sometimes you just wish that when you tell people your okay they'll realize your not and try to do something.

Sadly Conall didn't realize that and started to clean up the floor in front of the desk.


	14. A Secret Meeting (Boys)

"We have to do something about Red," Nick insisted leaning against the wooden dinning room table.

"What can we do?" Haley asked crossing her arms. "She's broken, and beating herself up because she thinks this whole situation is her fault."

"I shouldn't have given her the assignment," Ellie said solemnly looking down and tracing the knots in the wood with her finger.

"I blame Marcus and Kelsea," Evan said matter-of-factly.

"What about that new hunter whats-his-face? Ummm..." Matthew said snapping his fingers.

"...George," I finished.

"Yah!" Matthew cried out, "What about George he's a hunter like Marcus and Kelsea!"

"I guess we can blame him too," Evan said.

"They were going after us," Fred said looking at Matthew.

"You're not to blame," I reassured him.

"Didn't you see the cuff around her ankle!" Fred protested. "It was so small that I thought it was going to cut her foot off from the rest of her body. It was meant for a wolf!"

"There are tons of wolf traps in the forest," I told him. "Red just can't see the signs of there presence like we can. We shouldn't have even been in the forest, we knew the danger."

"Conall," Haley said staring at me. "what else are we supposed to do in this town? Nothing happens besides the Princess' falling in love, a strange magical fog, some weird magical things, the hunters trying to kill us, and us turning into wolves once a month."

"Yah," Ryan said sarcastically. "nothing every happens in Fairy Tale."

"You know what I mean," Haley said. "that there are no g-"

"We should start a disco country club!" Nick interrupted.

We all looked at him.

"A disco country club?" Haley asked raising her eyebrows.

"Or just any club," Nick suggested.

"Yippie a club for the one high school that exist within five hundred miles of here," Haley deadpanned.

"Just stop coming up with ideas Nick," Ellie said. "they're stupid."

"Just stop being so bitter!" Nick snapped. "You're never going to go back to normal and you have to accept it!"

She glared at him and then snapped her cellphone out, probably hoping to ignore the world and pretend nothings wrong.

"Nice going," Evan whispered to Nick. "now we'll have a silent glaring Ellie for the rest of the week."

"It's not my fault she can't let go of the past," Nick whispered angrily.

He stood up from his chair and stormed out of the room.

"And there goes Nick." Evan's words rang in the silent room.

"We need pack unity," I told everyone. "everything's changed since Red got here. It's just like last time."

Ellie pretended not to listen.

"It's worse than last time," Matthew said. "last time we didn't have the hunters involved in it. It wasn't as big as this."

"It's nice to know that my problem wasn't a big deal," Ellie said cooly.

"Ellie you know he didn't mean that what happened to you wasn't a big deal." I told her, "But now we have to be keeping secrets from Red, try to keep her safe, and stay away from her new hunter friends at the same time."

"I don't see how Red is such a big deal! She's only staying for the summer and doesn't even argue with your stupid little excuses! How is this little problem worse off than what happened to me two years ago?!" Ellie grabbed her phone and then stormed out of the room. A minute later the door slammed in one of the rooms.

"I sure hope she doesn't rip her room in half," Matthew said.

"She won't," Fred said taking a sip from his water bottle. "it's not close to the full moon, she doesn't have the werewolf strength to physically rip her room in half."

"Well maybe she'll bottle up all her anger and the day before the full moon she'll rip her room in half," Matthew suggested.

"Most likely."

"We don't wan't her to rip her room in half," I told both of them.

"Who cares what she does," Haley said bitterly. "I'm tired of her, and so is Nick. Just because she wasn't born a werewolf doesn't mean she has to run around here being rancorous and mean to everyone she meets because she doesn't want to get hurt. Besides it's not even _all_ of our faults that she's a werewolf anyways."

"Rancorous?" Evan asked. "What does that even mean?"

"Look it up dumb-ass."

"This is why girls shouldn't be werewolves," Evan said looking pointedly at me.

"What do I have to do with them being werewolves?" I asked.

"Good point," Evan said. "you don't have anything to do with the whole Ellie thing but you are the Alfa, and you let both of them be in the pack!"

I leaned over and smacked him upside the head. "You dolt! We all live in the same town and the closet pack to us is in Canada!"

"So they can't move to Canada?"

A tissue box came flying at Evans head from over where Haley was sitting.

"You can move to Canada!" Haley said.

"I take that back," Evan said rubbing his head from where the tissue box had hit him. "you can move to the zoo. You're like a monkey. And since you turn into a wolf every full moon they can put on display as a wonkey."

Evan ducked this time as the tissue box went flying over his head.

"A wonkey with bad aim!"

"Get over here!" Haley screamed as she lunged across the table.

"Woh!" Matthew said raising his hands up. "we really do need to work on pack unity!"

The sunlight was warm as I strolled through town. We needed some new tools and supplies for the hunt and Kelsea refused to do it, so I had to. She wanted to stay behind with George - though she would never admit it.

I took out the the list of items we needed from my pocket. A trap had sprung a couple days ago and had been ripped from Swan Lake, so we needed to replace that and our supply of Silver Weed was growing low. I would have to make a stop at the community center for that one. Maybe Mrs. Honors wouldn't mind this time and I would be able to replenish our storage.

"Well, well, if it isn't big bad Marcus Juniper," A voice said. A voice that belonged to Nick Forest.

"Lay off Forest," I growled as I continued to walk. "don't you have some pig's houses to blow down?"

"And don't you have some werewolves to hunt?"

I rolled my eyes and walked faster.

"Why don't you just kill me now?" Nick taunted. "It would be easy and save you a lot of time."

I remained silent.

"But let me guess, too many witnesses?"

I spun around. "I'm warning you, lay off Forest," I growled.

I watched as he staggered towards me. He smelled heavily of alcohol. "Oooh I'm so scared," he said. There was an angry glint in his eyes.

"Forest," I warned.

"I know why you won't kill me now," He said stabbing me in the chest. I glared at him. "it's because if you killed me now it would be murder. Yet, if you killed me as a wolf knowing I was a human, it wouldn't be murder. Everything-everyone would congratulate you for being brave enough to kill a wolf." He stabbed me in the chest with his finger. "But." Stab. "It." Stab. "Would." Stab. "Still." Stab. "Be." Stab. "Murder."

I grabbed his hand before he could poke me again. "I would be ridding the town of a menace."

I roughly pushed him away from me. "You disgust me."

I then turned around and started walking away.

"What if it was Kelsea?" He yelled. "I could turn her right now, would you still be a cold blooded murderer? Would you kill your own sister? Or would you choose to protect her."

"In fact," I called out. "I would protect her by killing her."

"That's not protection! And you're not protecting Red either!" He yelled running after me. "She's the one who sprung your trap in Swan Lake! She's the one who got hurt!"

"You son of a."

I turned around and punched him square in the jaw.


	15. Mr Moon Returns (Shortly)

_October 3,_

_The town has grown worried. It has almost been one month since the first kid has been snatched. Since then almost fifteen more have gone missing. Even little Daisy Cunnings. _

_The snatchers have grown wiser and now are coming during the day._

_There are rumors around town too. That their are strange howls in the forest. I would suspect werewolves, but the howls are every night. Is there a new race of werewolves? One that changes every night. If so, we have no hope of survival now. We are doomed. The werewolves will take over._

_There are stories that come from the outside of hunters who can kill the werewolves, could it be true? We need some now, now that my suspicions are starting to be conformed. The hunters are said to be the J Family and the mayor has already sent out a request to them. We expect to hear from them very soon._

_Kiana Merryton has fled town with her husband and son, they have claimed to be moving to a safer town. I pray that no one in their new town will die._

_Henry Johnson Jr. and Athena Smith have announced their engagement. Probably to start a werewolf family for a bigger pack. We must drive the werewolves out before they kill us all, or worse. Turn us into them._

_Sincerely,_

_Mr. Moon_

I closed the book. I just couldn't handle Mr. Moon and all these werewolf accusations now. Plus, I was running out of Silver Weed to read the pages with.

I would ask Kelsea for some more later.

"Watcha reading?"

I screamed and whipped around in my seat.

Behind me was Nick with a very large ugly purple bruise on his cheek.

"What happened to your cheek?" I asked.

"Na-a-a," He scolded. "I asked you first."

"It's nothing," I said hiding the symbol on the cover with my arm. "just something I checked out of the library."

He raised his eyebrows and looked down at the thick book. "A bit of light summer reading?"

I shrugged. "Now my question."

He shrugged. "I just got in a row with someone, no big deal."

"Did you at least give her a bruise too?"

"No I actua- hey! You think I'm strong enough to fight a guy?"

I shrugged.

"Well I am strong enough! In fact, I'm the second best fighter in the group."

"Who's the first?"

"Conall."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Seriously!" Nick said. "He is!"

"Well good for him," I said. "I guess."

"Yep," Nick said popping the 'p'. "So what are you doing at the Second Star all alone?"

I shrugged. "I was doing my light summer reading, but really I have to stop by the community club later and visit Grandma."

"Why? Don't you see her enough at home?" He asked.

"No," I said. "I don't even think she leaves the community center for anything. She's in the Gardening club with a couple other people and apparently they're all on the hunt for some really rare flower that only grows here."

"Efini, the eternal flower," Nick said.

"Are you in the garden club too or something?"

"No," He said scowling. "I just know my garden plants."

"Well technically it's not a garden plant since its rare," I pointed out.

"Whatever," Nick said waving his hand.

I stared at the clock across the room, four o'clock. Crap.

"I have to go now," I said standing up. "Grandma is expecting me."

"Why don't I join you?" Nick suggested. "I can educate you on some garden plant history."

"Yippie," I deadpanned.

I grabbed the thick book off the table and then Nick and I made our way towards the door.

It took us about ten minutes to walk from The Second Star to the community center and the whole time Nick talked about plants while I listened silently. I learned about lucerne with is apparently part of the leguminous family, sweet bay which was a shrub of the laurel family, brier, and some other plants I don't care or remember.

The community center was a long light brown one story building. It had brown wooden double doors in the middle with bulletin boards next to both doors. There were two large windows on either side of the bulletin boards: one looked into a small light pink room, and the other looked into a large open room that people could rent out for parties.

"Do we just go around and to the garden in the back, or do we have to knock and go through the building?" I asked Nick.

"Just go through the small side gate that leads to the back," Nick said. "It's to the right."

He lead me over to a small wooden gate covered with vines. Once through it we walked around the building and to the back. The back of the community center was a huge garden with winding stone pathways. There were lots of green, blue, pink, and purple plants that ranged from as tall as my ankle to growing as high as my waist. There was also some trees with winding branches and different colored leaves with fruit hanging off of them.

"The garden club here is really productive," I said.

"They have a green finger," Nick said.

We walked through the garden till we got to the center where there was this large tree. The tree had smooth dark brown bark and thick winding branches that curled around other branches and then branched out. On the very end of the branches were vibrate green leaves so it created somewhat like a basket around the branches and trunk of the tree.

"What kind of tree is this?" I asked amazed.

The sun shone through the trees and cast a magical glow on the ground and branches.

"Its the Halo Tree," Nick told me, "some say its a magical tree. Others say its the heart and sole of Fairy Tale. But everyone knows its been here since Fairy Tale's been founded."

"Interesting," I said.

I dropped Mr. Moon's book in the dirt and grabbed onto one of the branches pulling myself onto it.

"What are you doing Red?" Nick called out as I continued to climb higher and higher.

"Having fun!" I yelled.

"I don't think we're allowed to climb this tree!"

"Since when have you followed the rules?" I asked as I pulled myself onto one of the winding branches.

"Good point," He said.

He grabbed onto one of the branches and started climbing up. I was about twenty feet above the ground and I sat in one of the grooves of the tree, laying my legs on the thick branch below me. There was about ten feet of tree above me until I broke the canopy of leaves and I stared up at the small vibrant green objects above me.

"Hey Red," Nick called.

"Yah Nick?" I asked not taking my eyes off of the leaves.

"I think I found something down here."

"Like what?"

"Something weird, I don't really know what it is."

"Okay," I called out. "I'll come check it out."

I carefully sat up on the branch and then grabbed onto the trunk of the tree as I stood up. I then maneuvered my way around the trunk and down the tree. Nick was about ten feet below me and since I don't want to break all my bones and die it took me a couple of minutes to slide and climb through the tangled branches and over to where Nick was.

"Okay," I said out of breath. "what did you want to show me?"

"Look at this." Nick stepped away from part of the trunk that he was hiding.

There, carved into the tree, was the same symbol from the cover of Mr. Moon's book. It had the same circle inside the triangle and the flower connected to the circle by its stem.

"Do you know what this is?" Nick asked me.

"I have no clue," I said staring at the symbol. First on the book and now on the oldest tree in Fairy Tale. "I have no clue."


	16. Marcus' Trust

"Why do we have to do this in the forest?" I asked nervously.

"It's the only place big enough to launch an arrow and that I'm positive that no one will be hit," Marcus explained.

I stared nervously at the ground. I felt like at any moment a lake would magically show up, I would fall into it, and die. The realistic side of me knew that this would never happen to me but the rest of my brain was totally expecting the lake to show up at any minute.

"Nothing's going to jump out at you and kill you," Kelsea reassured me. She was holding her own hand carved - or so they said - bow and arrows with white plume at the end. "except maybe George."

"I wouldn't put it past him," I told her.

She smiled.

"Hey!" George protested from the other side of me. "I take that as an offense."

"You should," I told him.

He frowned and held up his bow. "You shouldn't joke about stuff like that with an armed person."

I rolled my eyes. "Like you know how to use a bow."

He smirked and we came to a stop ten feet away from a redwood tree with a bull's-eye hanging from the trunk. "Wanna bet?"

He took out his bow and loaded an arrow onto it before drawing the string back and taking aim. He held his pose for a moment before swiftly letting go of the string. The black plumed arrow flew through the air before lodging itself into the red circle of the bull's-eye.

I gawked at George.

"I will never doubt you again."

"Don't make his head inflate more than it already has Red," Kelsea told me. "He's not a big shot, just lucky. That's the third bull's-eye I have ever witnessed him make."

I turned to George and he shrugged. "Guilty as charged."

"Watch the master," Kelsea said to me.

She had a smirk on her face as in one fluid moment she held the bow up and loaded it. A second later her own white plumed arrow whizzed through the air and landed in the center of the bull's-eye red circle.

"That's how its done," She said bowing.

I turned to Marcus. "Are you going to say your the best at archery now?" I asked eying his green plumed arrows.

"Oh no!" Marcus exclaimed. "I am not the best! That tittle defiantly goes to Kelsea. Just watch how bad I am."

Marcus took out his own light brown bow and green plumed arrows. He was swift but a little clumsy and his arrow ended up hitting barely above the yellow mark. "See Kelsea is definitely the best!"

I laughed. "Your right."

"Okay Red," George said. "it's your turn now."

"Have you ever even shot an arrow before?" kelsea asked me.

"Once or twice with Kate back at girl scout camp." I awkwardly fingered the bow in my hands. The bow was a deep mahogany color with what I guessed was a horse hair string. Vines and small birds swirled up the bow and I drew a red plumed arrow from my quiver.

I clumsily loaded my arrow and then took a minute to aim. All I could focus on was the bull's-eye (and maybe George because let's face it, I wouldn't put it past him to jump out at me while aiming). I let go of the string and watched as the arrow lost hight, fast. It lodged itself in the tree, the tree next to the tree that had the bull's eye on it.

At least it hit the tree.

My face burned red and George lifted a hand up to his mouth in a not so subtle way of hiding his laugh

"Shut up," I mumbled.

"I didn't say anything!" George cried out but he had a huge smirk on his face.

"You didn't have to," Kelsea told him. "we all knew you were laughing your ass off on the inside."

"And I remember when you were worse than Red," Marcus said with a smile.

"But now I'm slightly better," George said.

"Oh wow, slightly better, lets all bow down to George," Kelsea said sarcastically.

"Yes almighty George, what will you be slightly better at next?" Marcus said dropping to his knees.

"Shut up you lot!" George said.

"As you wish oh Great One."

George whacked Marcus in the back of the head.

"Boys," Kelsea muttered rolling her eyes.

Marcus rubbed the back of his head as he stood up again.

"Let's just get back to shooting," George said.

And about thirty arrows, ten bull's-eyes, two lost arrows, a slight grazing accident, and an hour later we were all walking back through the trees of Story Book Forest. I was no longer afraid of the ominous lake appearing beneath my feet and walked in between Marcus and Kelsea.

"I can't believe you almost shot my arm!" George cried out.

He had his flannel shirt rolled up and was inspecting the slightly red spot on his arm.

"Get over it, I watched Kate almost shoot one of the girl scout counselors head off, with a flaming arrow. There is still probably a scorch mark on her scalp."

Kelsea looked at me. "Are you serious?"

"Oh yah," I said. "George got lucky."

"I don't feel lucky," George mumbled.

"Deal with it," I told him as the trees started thinning out.

Marcus rolled his eyes.

"Lets just put all these dangerous weapons away and go play a board game or something," Kelsea suggested.

Marcus raised his eyebrows. "Really Kelsea, a board game?"

"It's not that bad of an idea," Kelsea said.

We had now reached the edge of their backyard.

"Yah," George said. "I love board games, especially apples to apples."

"That's a card game," I pointed out.

"It still counts," George said.

I rolled my eyes but smiled none the less. Kelsea opened the back door to the house and we all entered the kitchen. "George and I will go find the board game in the attic," Kelsea said.

"Wait wh-"

Kelsea stomped on Georges foot and smiled. "Come on George."

Kelsea started to drag George away.

"Self-righteous she devil!"

I laughed as George started mumbling insults.

"They're so funny," I told Marcus as he started digging around in one of the cabinets. He nodded.

"Need any help?" I asked him.

"No."

Marcus took out a bowl and started pouring some chips in it.

An awkward silence fell over the room. I couldn't help but feel like Marcus had been exceedingly cold to me lately. Which is totally unfair because I didn't do anything - as far as I know - to make him hate me. Except maybe giving Kelsea advice on George. Could that make him hate me? Nah.

"Why do you hate me?" I blurted out suddenly.

Marcus didn't stop pouring the chips. "No, I just don't trust you," Marcus said.

"You don't trust me?" I asked.

"No, frankly I don't," He said switching to a different bowl and chip bag.

"And what exactly have I done to make you not trust me?" I asked crossing my arms over my chest. Git.

"Y-"

"We're back!" Kelsea called out loudly walking through the house.

A second later her and George showed up in the room with a bright red box. Kelsea dropped the box on the table. "Apples to apples," She announced. "Your welcome."

"So lets play," George said taking a seat at the table.

Marcus took his chip bowls and walked towards the table. I grabbed his arm as he passed me and pulled him towards me. "We're not done talking about this."


	17. Kelsea's Crush

"It was just a normal July 2, and two girls were walking in a forest. The first girl, Kelsea, had long sleek black hair and deep ominous brown eyes. The second girl, Red, was a year older than the first girl and had beautiful long brown hair and shining blue eyes."

"Kelsea."

"Red's voice rang in the forest like a bell. She was feeling nervous, a mixture of a churning something and a fit of butterflies lay in her stomach."

"Kelsea."

"She was also confused. What was she doing here? What did Kelsea have planed? Why had she even come?"

"Kelsea."

"Why was Kelsea listing of questions? Was there something wrong?"

"KELSEA!"

"What?"

I stared at the black haired girl with confusion. "What are you doing?"

She shrugged and smiled. "I was bored."

"Never do it again. It's weird."

"Well the forest is boring," Kelsea said. "Why are we even in here?"

"Your the one that brought me here!"

Kelsea pointed at me, "But why?"

"It's your brain you tell me!"

"My brain isn't working right now please come again another time."

I stared at Kelsea. Kelsea was wearing brown boots, black jeans, white over the shoulder purse, and a white tank top that had two large orange tulips on it. She took a piece of paper out of her purse and then smiled. "Oh, I know why we're here now."

"Why?" I asked.

She held out the piece of paper and I took it. There were little drawings of certain rocks and trees in the area with directions below them, at the top of the page was a giant red x. It was a map.

"Where did you get this?" I asked her as I handed the paper back to her.

She shrugged and took the map from me. "I just found it in my room and what the heck, why don't I go do this with Red."

"Don't you have any other friends that aren't me to do this with?" I asked her.

"They're all away on vacation with their families," Kelsea said inspecting the map.

"So they left you behind."

Kelsea shrugged and pointed at a rock at the bottom of the map. "Okay that's the starting point and I'm pretty sure that's Elder's Rock. And Elder's rock is about a five minute walk in that direction." She pointed to the left. "So we should probably walk in that direction."

"That would be the smart thing to do," I said

"Good thing George isn't with us."

I laughed and we started walking towards Elder's Rock. "Do you have any clue about what the treasure at the x might be?" I asked.

"I really have no clue," Kelsea said. "this thing is so old that I don't even remember if it's a cereal toy or maybe one of my Grandparents."

"It's probably just going to be an old space lunchbox or something with some pictures of a little boy in it," I told Kelsea.

"Probably."

We walked in silence for a minute until we reached a large grey moss covered boulder that jetted ten feet out of the ground. "Elder's Rock." Kelsea looked back down at the map. "The map says that we now have to go east towards the center of the Forest until we reach Fairy's Tree."

"Elder's Rock? Fairy's Tree?"

Kelsea looked up from the map. "Yah, Fairy's Tree is a large willow tree surrounded my a brook, it's kinda like a little minnie moat. Fireflies gather there at night and the whole tree lights up."

"That's so cool!"

"I know," Kelsea said with a big smile. "You, Marcus, George, and I should all spend a night there. It would be fun."

I didn't point out to Kelsea how her older brother apparently didn't trust me because of Nick and how he'd probably glare at me the entire night, ruining the magical effect. I had concluded that Marcus was the one who had given Nick the purple bruise on his cheek.

When the game of apples to apples had finished earlier Marcus and I somehow gotten Kelsea and George to leave the room and continued our discussion on his trust. He had made up some ludicrous reason that I couldn't be trusted because I hung out with Nick. He told me that if I started hanging out with all of them then I would be safer and more trust worthy. These emotions - I felt - had come from nowhere. Only a week ago Marcus was totally fine with me and now apparently he hates me.

I blame Fairy Tale.

This town just hates me.

Kelsea and I walked through the forest and the trees started growing thinner and shorter until I was walking on moss and surrounded by birch trees. "Is this a completely different forest?" I asked.

"No," Kelsea said. "you'll find that things Fairy Tale have multiple personalities."

I thought of George. "No kidding," I muttered.

Kelsea and I only had to walk for one more minute until Fairy's Tree came into sight. Fairy's Tree was a huge willow tree with long narrow leaves. It grew about twenty feet high and the ground beneath it was covered in short moss. A brook had worn down about four inches of dirt and water flowed through it. Kelsea and I stepped over the small gap and made our way underneath the leaves of the willow.

Underneath the willows light seeped in from gaps in the leaves and it reminded me of the community center and the tree there.

"Red, look for a note hanging off a branch or something," Kelsea told me. "the map says something about a key hiding in plain sight."

"If it was on a branch, wouldn't it have been ruined by the rain?" I asked no one in particular as I stared up into the tree's branches.

"Then look on the ground."

I scanned the branches of the willow tree. "If the note is not connected to one of the branches," I said to myself. "then maybe it's in a hole in one of the branches or the trunk. But would they risk that?"

I walked over to the trunk of the tree and looked up. Got it.

I used one of the branches to pull me up and I climbed the branches of the tree until I was about teen feet up. There was a small hole in the tree, where an owl might have lived once, and inside the hole was a glass bottle with a note inside of it. Cliché.

"Kelsea!" I called out.

I climbed down from the tree and landed next to the black haired girl. "Look at this," I handed her the bottle.

Kelsea took it and quickly took the note out of it. She read the note and then took her map out.

"This note says that the treasure (x) is at the bottom of Shell Ridge. Which, of course, is about a twenty minute walk."

"Well we can walk and talk then," I said as Kelsea and I walked away from the willow tree.

"So have you made any progress with George?" I asked.

She blushed and tucked a stray piece of hair behind here ear - a now noticed, nervous habit. "Well we talked a little when we went up to the attic to grab apples to apples and we talked some more after the game when we went outside.

"So," I said looking expectingly at her. "did you find anything out? Does he like you?"

Kelsea looked down. "I think he likes someone, I just don't think it's me."

"Pssh," I waved my hand. "How could he not like you! Come on, who else would he like? After shooting some archery in the woods how could he look at you as Marcus' little sister anymore?"

Kelsea looked up at the sky. "I just don't think he has feelings for me. I mean he has that look in his eyes, like he likes someone. But it's just that he doesn't really look at me like that. It's like the spark kinda dies down when he looks at me."

I looked at her. "You're being ridiculous, George isn't smart or sensitive enough to have a spark in his eyes."

Kelsea laughed. "I guess not," She said. "but what about your friend, Kate. He talks about her a lot. Do you think they could be dating?"

"As if," I said with a laugh. "if George ever liked Kate, Kate would probably punch him. And if Kate ever like George, George would probably avoid her for the rest of his life. Since George hasn't been punched and Kate hasn't been avoided, I can safely say, they do not like each other."

"That's a relief," Kelsea said. "but are you absolutely sure?"

"Yes."

"Absolutely positively sure?"

"Yes."

"Absolutely positively super spectacularly sure?"

"Now your just mocking me."

Kelsea laughed. "So should I wait for him to make the move or should I?" She asked suddenly getting nervous again and tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Well," I said.

Was I always this hard to convince?

"You can either wait _forever_ for George to make a move," I continued. "Or you can be the man in the relationship and ask him. Actually, even if he did ask you, you'd still be the man in the relationship."

"I like my men weak," Kelsea said with a smile.

"Seriously?" I asked raising my eyebrows.

"No." She laughed.

"Then why do you like George?" I asked confused.

"He may be weak around you, but he's brave around me." Kelsea smiled.

"What? Like he kills spiders for you or something? Because back in San Fransico he's scared of those things."

"It doesn't really matter," Kelsea said with a wave of her hand. "Besides, we're here."

I looked around. There was a small, but steep hill in front of us that was shell ridge. We were at the base and Kelsea had once again take the map and not out from her purse.

"According to the note and the map the treasure should be around here somewhere at the base of the ridge."

I started to walk around the base of the hill looking around the trees and under the few rocks that littered the ground. Nothing. "What exactly are we looking for?" I asked Kelsea. "A sign? An note? A big X?"

"We're looking for what I think is a blue zigzag."

"Wow, great symbol."

"Wait! It's a snake."

"How do you get a blue snake and a blue zigzag mixed up?"

Kelsea held up the map. The snake did look like a zigzag!

"That's weird" I said before going back to searching for the snake.

I walked around a tree and kneeled down to check the many rocks that lay underneath it. I was on about the second dozen rock when I saw the faded paint of the blue snake. "Kelsea!" I yelled out and a minute later the black haired girl was by my side.

"I found the rock," I told her.

She glanced at the map and then at the rock. "So do we dig or something?" I asked Kelsea.

"I think it should be bared underneath all these rocks or something." Kelsea got on her knees, pulled her hair back, and started to pull the rocks at the base of the tree away.

I started to help her and in about five minutes we unearthed a space lunchbox. "Told you!" I said.

Kelsea laughed as she took the lunchbox out of the rocks and opened it. Inside were a bunch of old black and white pictures of children no older than ten. They were wearing clothes from the late fifties and all had big smiles on there faces.

"I wonder who these kids are," Kelsea asked taking a handful of pictures out.

Only one thing came to mind: Mr. Moon.


	18. George's Personality

"Have you talked to Kate or Jason lately?" George asked.

I raised my eyebrows at him before going back to swishing the sparkling fruit juice I was drinking around in it's clear glass bottle.

"I know," George said rubbing the back of his neck. "stupid question. So, have you heard from Kate?"

"Not really. She must be busy hanging out with Rylee since we've ditched her. You know Kate, always busy having some adventure."

"Yah." He picked up a rock and held it in his hands for a moment before throwing it into the water. "She always has to be doing something."

I nodded. "It's just the way she is. We all have our predictabilities. Mine is the color red and my ability to choose amazing friends."

George smiled and threw another rock into the lake. "What's my predictability?"

I stared out into the black water of the lake. "You had one," I told him. "before you came here. Then everything changed, and your predictability is gone."

"What was my predictability before?"

"Your jokes," I said, returning to swishing my drink around in its glass bottle. "You always crack jokes and pull pranks in San Fransico."

"And now I don't." George looked up at the star filled sky.

We sat there in silence, George looking at the stars and me swishing my drink around and taking a sip every once in a while. It was a comfortable silence, like the ones that rest in car rides when your looking out the window. Nothing was being pushed to be said. We didn't have to say anything.

But on the outside of the silence was an air of seriousness. Like there was some conversation that loomed there waiting to be said. You could feel it. It seemed to buzz around George. This new George. And I had a feeling what it was.

"Kelsea wants you to tell me," I said not meeting George's eyes.

"Does she now." George didn't move an inch.

"She wants you and Marcus to tell me why everyones been acting so weird and whats been happening. But you don't think I'm ready."

"It's not something you should know."

"Why not?"

"Its just something you should figure out on your own."

"Is it now," I turned towards him. "because Kelsea seems about the only one in the whole world who thinks that I should at least know. She has this weird notion that I'll get hurt or be in danger if I don't know."

"Kelsea's naïve."

"Aren't we all?"

"It depends on how you look at it," George said. He laid down and looked at the stars.

I fell into place next to him and tried to find Ursa Major. Ursa Minor immediate jumped out at me and I scanned the sky for its hiding bigger sibling.

"Stars a bit naïve don't you think?" I said.

"I guess so."

"They lie up in the sky in there own little world, unaffected by anything else. They don't have anything to corrupt them and they never fight."

My brown hair was splayed out on the grass beneath me and I imagined if stars were humans, their hair would never rest perfectly on their shoulders but be splayed out, mush like mine.

"So, stars are a bit naïve," I said.

"Yet they go out with a big bang." George smiled.

I matched his smile. "It is kind of weird."

"Maybe they are naïve for billions and billions of years but when they suddenly become self-righteous and conceited they blow up AND A supernova occurs."

I stared at the blanket of shining dots above me. "Maybe," I said. "but that would be kind of sad. Like an angle falling. The stars being perfect and pure but when they become corrupted their life ends."

"Maybe that's what happens to us." George placed his hands behind his head. "We're perfect and pure but over the years we become more and more corrupted. And when we become so corrupted that we can no longer be pure, we die."

The thought seemed chilling and mysterious.

"Emily Prudence and I talked about reflections one day in class," I told George. "She said that she read a book, and in every chapter was a different way that we die." I paused. "In one chapter it talked about reflections. How we never _truly_ see our selves. When we look into a mirror, we're seeing a reflection of ourselves, the opposite. And in this one chapter, you saw yourself clearly for the first time ever, and that's what killed you."

George was silent. If I knew anything about this new George - which I did not - he was probably thinking, or contemplating my response.

"Maybe its the same with stars. They see themselves, and die."

"My mind can't even comprehend dying. Will it be conciseness black? Or you just stop feeling and nothing exist no more? Or maybe you see black for a second before your reincarnated and brought into the world again."

"Or maybe you just live in heaven forever."

"But if that happened, wouldn't heaven be overcrowded and have no room for future generations to come?"

George looked puzzled. "I guess your right. Heaven would be crowded."

"So that brings up a bunch of new questions. Do yo live in Heaven until you die and are reincarnated? Or maybe you live life until you die and are taken to a new heaven and this is just a never ending cycle. Maybe were on the 317 heaven right now."

"And how are you liking the 317 heaven?" George turned towards me.

"It's okay, but I have this idiot friend named George."

"Well I have this idiot friend named Victoria who likes to call herelf Red. She also thinks stars are naïve, we die when looking at ourselves for the first time ("It was just in a book that Emily Prudence told me about!"), and we live on the 317 heaven."

"It doesn't have to be the 317 heaven, it could be like the 216 heaven."

George looked at me amused.

"I'm just keeping our options open," I told him.

"Your options," He pointed out.

"If there is such things as a 216 heaven I don't think it would only be my option, wouldn't it be everyones?"

"I guess but then would there be 216 hells?"

"I guess, but does it really matter?"

"What if one of us goes to hell?"

I propped my arm underneath me and looked at George. "Why would one of us go to hell?"

George continued to look up at the stars. "I don't know. What if one of us makes a big mistake that changes our lives forever and ends up landing us in hell?"

"This has something to do with that Moonshine day doesn't it."

"It really doesn't."

"But it does, I can tell."

George looked at me. "Red, just leave it. Let's just look at the stars."

"How can I possibly look at the stars now? Why can't you just tell me?" I sat up.

"It's complicated, you just wouldn't understand."

"Or maybe it's because you don't trust me."

A look of confusion passed over George's face. "What?"

"Marcus doesn't seem to trust me and he's your best friend now isn't he."

"Red, your being unreasonable."

"And your acting like someone else! The George from San Fransico wouldn't have talked about stars, and a 216 heaven, and reflections. You would have cracked a joke in the first minute that wed laid down! The thing is George, you've changed and I don't know what's going to happen when we get back to San Fransico."

"We can still be friends, can't we?"

I looked up at the stars, "I don't know, George. Can we? You seem to hate my friends here and frankly, I don't know what to expect from you anymore."

"What about back home, Kate and Jason, what will we tell them?"

I stood up. "You can tell them whatever you want, or you can tell them the truth."

George looked at me.

"Happy forth of July," I told him.

Then I walked away.


	19. Forth of July Fireworks (Part 1)

"Today seems slightly less patriotic than it usually does," I told Haley.

"What's forth of July like back in San Fransico?" Haley flipped a page in her magazine.

"It's a huge party, everyones out on the streets and there are some fireworks off of Fisherman's Wharf and other parts of the city. But it's not as crazy as Oakland. In Oakland illegal fireworks go off in like every neighborhood. Right off the street and everything."

"Sounds exciting," Haley said blandly.

"Well what do you do here?" I moved on the stool I was sitting on.

"Everyone usually goes to Jazzy Price's house because she throws this huge forth of July party every year. Jazzy's the mayors daughter and one of the princess'. Conall, Nick, Fred, Even, Ryan, Matthew, Ellie, and I usually leave before the parties over and watch the fireworks from the top of the roof. They have a fireworks show at the west edge of town, where all the rich people live."

"Sounds epic," I told her.

"So you should probably meet us at Conall's house."

"Why?"

"Because you're going with us to the party of course."

"You actually go to the party?" I asked. "The whole Cindy Owens and Aurora Rose scene doesn't seem like a place that you guys would want to be. I mean, Aurora did call Nick a wet dog."

Haley shrugged. "It's not like he isn't one."

I laughed. "That's so mean!"

"Oh like you haven't done worse."

I smiled. "You make a good point."

"I know." Haley flipped her hair over her shoulder, "I'm unbelievably talented."

I laughed and the bell rang over the door. Haley sighed and stepped out from behind the white wooden planked cashier counter. "Now if you excuse me, I have a job I'm supposed to be doing."

Haley planted a big smile on her face and perkily walked - more like skipped - over to where a a girl with long, and I mean long, blonde haired girl was standing. The girl had her hair double braided so the end hovered an inch over the ground and she had a trail of freckles over her cheeks and nose.

I watched as Haley went through her usual perky salesclerk routine. It reminded me of the day I met Haley. Haley was just naturally chatty and friendly. I watched from the stool behind the counter as Haley and the blonde girl talked for a while. It sounded like the blonde girl was looking for a purple sundress but Haley was trying to convince her to buy a white one, which would apparently look much better.

I pulled the magazine Haley had been looking at towards me and glanced at the cover, _Teen Vogue_. The page Haley was on was one of the fifty ads in the magazine. It was a picture of a tall brunette on a pink horse, she was in a foggy forest with lights shining in the distance and on the ground near the horses hove was a giant square purple glass bottle with a bow on the top. In the middle of the picture, in loopy handwriting, was _Lane Hebert_ and underneath it, _LB number 1._ It was probably a weird perfume ad. I never really got why perfume was always advertised in weird scenarios with huge bottles. How does that make the scent appealing?

Haley and the girl were now over by the other end of the store looking at the rack filled with different styles of dresses. Haley was looking at a section of white dresses while the blonde girl was searching through different colored dresses. It only took about ten minutes but Haley won and the blonde girl ended up picking a white sun dress with no straps, a sweetheart neckline, and a flowy skirt that reached the mid thigh.

Haley and the girl walked over to the cashier counter.

"I'll ring those up," I told the girl.

Haley gave me a quizzical look. "Since when do you know how to use the cash register at a store you _don't_ work at?"

I shrugged as I grabbed the sundress and scanned it. "I've watched you do it loads of times."

I pressed some buttons in the touch screen. "That will be $27.37," I told the girl with a smile.

She handed me the money and I pressed some more buttons on the screen before the cashbox opened up and the receipt printed itself. I folded the dress and put it into one of the white paper bags that had _Enchanted _written in black cursive on the side. "Receipt with you or in the bag?"

"In the bag please," The girl said.

I placed the receipt inside the bag before picking out the girls change and closing the cashbox with my hip. I handed her her change and bag. "Thank you," I told her putting on my best salesclerk smile.

The girl smiled. "Thanks."

She took her bag and then left.

Haley rested her elbow on the counter.

"So who was that?" I asked her.

Haley shrugged. "She says her name is Rapunzel but I've never seen her here before."

"Maybe she's new," I suggested.

Haley shook her head. "No one new ever comes to Fairy Tale."

"What about me? I came here, and I'm new."

"That's different," Haley said. "You're only here for the summer and at the end, you're leaving."

"Wow, thanks," I deadpanned. "you really make me feel so loved."

"You know I didn't mean it like that." Haley looked pointedly at me.

I smiled. "Yah, I know."

"Yah, whatever." Haley walked behind the counter and picked up her cardigan behind me. "So my shift ends in about five minutes and after that we can go to your house and change for the party. It starts at seven but we were all going to hang out at Conall's first."

"When do the fireworks start?" I asked her.

"Ten."

Haley grabbed her employe ID card and disappeared in the store room.

So tonight will be the night I get to meet everyone in Fairy Tale. Interesting. The only people I had really met were Conall, Haley, Nick, Ryan, Ellie, Nick, Fred, Evan, Matthew, Marcus, and Kelsea. So that was about 11 people and I had seen about three others: Aurora, Cindy, and the blonde girl.

"Okay I'm clocked out and now all we have to do is turn off all the lights and lock up the shop." Haley walked out of the store room jingling the keys in her hand.

I grabbed my own sweatshirt before quickly logging out of the computer and following Haley out of the shop. She turned out the lights and locked the door before we stepped out on the street.

The air outside was slightly chilly and Haley and I quickly walked over to Grandma's house.

"Okay," Haley said closing my bedroom door. "so just change into a tank top or something. It can get pretty hot inside of Jazzy's house with all those people. And have you always had those glow in the dark stars on your ceiling?"

I smiled and looked up at the green stars that were barely luminescence in the growing darker light of my room. "I've always had those up there," I told her as I went through the clothes in my closet.

I finally found a cute tank top and slipped into it. "Okay," I said, "I'm ready."


	20. Forth of July Fireworks (Part 2)

I rested my elbow on the open car windowsill and stared out into the black of the night sky. Lights shone through the house windows, wait, they weren't houses, they were mansions. I was in the passenger seat of Conall's green rundown 1998 Toyota Tacoma watching as the marvelous mansions and spacious town houses whizzed by. Of course I would be in the rundown truck driving through the rich part of Fairy Tale.

"So what usually happens at these parties?" I asked.

"A couple people might get drunk, people usually make out, and almost everyone makes a fool out of themselves," Conall listed off.

"Sounds exciting," I deadpanned.

"Don't worry," Conall said. "I'll make sure that you don't get too drunk and make a fool of yourself like Nick probably will."

"Hey!" Nick cried from the backseat. "That was Fred who jumped into the pool last year with Cristina Kingsley!"

"Yes but who was the one who made out with her younger sister Alice?"

"Evan."

"Was not you dolt!" Evan protested. "It was soo you!"

"Or maybe it was Ryan." Nick's head appeared in between Conall and I's seats.

"No, no." Evan's head showed up next to Nicks. "Ellie was following Ryan around like a lost puppy last year and he was hiding in that tree the whole time. I remember because he made me stand underneath the tree the whole party and talk to him."

"He was in a tree the whole time, how did he make you stay there?" I asked.

"Ryan can be very persuasive when he wants to be." Nick looked pointedly at me.

I rolled my eyes. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Well see it because we're here."

I turned back to the window to see a grand white house. Lights shone through every window and silk red drapes were pulled back to reveal teenagers. The house had a red shingled roof and perfect large green lawn and brick pathway that lead up to the open red front door. There white pillars standing amongst the wrap around porch.

Conall parked the run down Toyota down the street and we all stepped out into the cool summer air. My breath fogged up in the air before me and I shut the car door behind me with a large _bang_.

We all made our way towards the front door, me in the middle of the taller men.

"Red," Nick said as we stepped through the door, "welcome to Jazzy Price's Forth of July Party."

The inside of Jazzy Price's house was a pale blue and filled with teenagers. I spotted Aurora Rose and a tall brown haired guy talking over by a beautifully carved marble fireplace and the blonde haired girl sitting alone with a smile on top of the plush couch. Evan and Nick quickly left Conall and I and soon after that Conall left with the promise of bringing back a drink.

I made my way over to the couch.

"Your Rapunzel right?" I asked her.

She looked up at me and I noticed she was wearing the white dress she had bought from Enchanted earlier. Haley was right, white did look good on her. She also had her blonde hair in the same braid as earlier with some white daisies woven in.

Rapunzel nodded.

"Sorry," I told her. "I just wanted to ask because I know your new and you might not have any friends - but you might. I don't know. The thing is I'm new here too. I arrived here at the beginning of summer and I'm staying with my grandma. I've made some friends here recently, it's really easy to too. Everyone here is so friendly and I'm sure you'll love it. But my friend Haley tells me nobody new ever shows up here so she was surprised when she met you. Haley was the store clerk at Enchanted. You remember me? I was the one who rang up your dress. And I see your wearing it! Haley was right, white is really your color - and I'm rambling. Sorry."

Rapunzel, who had been nodding this whole time, stopped and smiled. "It's fine," She said, "I get nervous all the time. Plus, I'm new here, like you thought. It's nice to know that everyone's friendly here because, truthfully, I don't talk to people much."

"Are you really shy? Because you totally don't seem like the type."

"No," She said taking a sip of coke. "my mom's just been really protective. I haven't left my house since I was born, as far as I know."

I stared at her in shock. "Are you serious? Don't you have to go to school? Is that even legal?"

"I have no clue. I just escaped out of my house yesterday. My mom's away on a trip and I met this nice guy who's letting me stay with him."

I raised my eyebrows. "Are you high?"

She laughed. "No, I've never seen a drug in my life!"

"Then what would posses you to stay at a strangers house, who is much less a guy that could rape you!"

"I think he's pretty safe to be around. He has two stepsisters: Christina and Alice."

The pool-diver and the maybe-make-outer, interesting.

"So what brought you to Jazzy Price's Forth of July party?"

Her smiled positively grew bigger.

"Is it a someone?" I pressured.

She nodded.

"OOOOH! What's his name?"

"Jacob," Rapunzel sighed and looked down at the coke can in her hand. "but he doesn't know I exist."

"Well if your new here, frankly, I don't think anyone knows you exist," I pointed out. "But no offense or anything!"

"I don't mind," Rapunzel said. "you're right. The only reason I know about this party anyways was because he walked by my house in the woods everyday and my bird friend brought me a flyer talking about this party."

I raised my eyebrows again. "Are you sure your not high?"

"I must sound so crazy," Rapunzel groaned.

"Yah, maybe you shouldn't mention the whole living with a stranger and having a bird as a best friend when you see this Jacob guy."

She smiled. "Thanks for the advice and listening to my problems and everything. Oooh I think I see him now!"

Rapunzel was positively beaming now and she hopped of of the couch with a short, "Goodbye." And a promise to see each other again.

As she was walking away I realized she had this natural elegance to her.

And that was the last time I ever saw Rapunzel.

I sat down on the couch and a minute later I saw Conall make his way towards me.

"Here's the drink you requested." Conall handed me a coke.

I took it. "What took you so long?" I asked him. "I've been talking to Rapunzel for at least ten or fifteen minutes!"

"Who's Rapunzel?" He asked sitting down next to me.

"She's this really nice girl who's kinda new in town."

Conall looked puzzled. "What do you mean kinda new?"

"She's lived here all her life," I explained. "but this is the first time she's actually been out in town. You can't miss her, she has really long blonde hair that's braided and almost touches the floor."

"That's interesting," Conall said slowly.

"Yah, but anyways what happened to Nick and everyone else?"

Conall shrugged. "Nick and Evan are probably around the pool or something and I don't know if Fred, Matthew, Ryan, Haley, and Ellie have arrived yet."

"We should go and find Evan and Nick," I told Conall.

"You can," He said looking behind me. "I need to talk to Cindy Owens about something."

I turned around and saw the blonde.

"Suit yourself." I stood up and navigated my way over to the backyard where I guessed the pool was.

Once outside I quickly found Nick alone by the poolside with his jeans rolled up and his feet in the water. I rolled up my jeans to my knees and sat down next to Nick. "It sure seems like your having fun out here," I said shaking him out of his trance.

"Oh yah. I'm about as ecstatic as that couple making out over by the potted plant."

I looked over in the same direction as Nick and instantly felt disgusted. "I didn't know people could eat each others faces like that."

Nick shrugged. "It's Jazzy Price's Forth of July Party, what are you going to do?"

"I have an idea!" I told Nick faking enthusiasm. "We could push them in the pool!"

"Hah hah hah," Nick deadpanned. "that was Fred."

"Because Fred's such a party animal."

"You'll be surprised about what Jazzy Price's parties do to you."

"See look at that!"

"Look at what?" Nick asked.

"At what you just said! Why did you have to say Jazzy Price? It's Jazzy Price's Party. Why not its just Jazzy's Party? Why add her last name to it?"

Nick turned to me. "Sometimes I worry about you Red."

"And sometimes I worry about you Nick."

"Awww." Nick held his hands up to his heart. "That's so heartfelt Red. I knew you loved me. And that dolt Conall said you didn't."

"He's probably just jealous," I joked and Nick wrapped his arm around me.

It was a typical Nick thing to do. We had grown close over the month I had been here and he had made countless relationship jokes in that time. He would claim we had a secret forbidden romance and I would play along with it. He was more of a big brother to me than anything else. And I expected when he landed a girlfriend - if he could land a girlfriend - the jokes would probably more or less stop. Hopefully less.

"So what brings you out here on this glorious night? Couldn't stay away from me, could you."

I laughed, and the couple by the potted plant broke off glaring at me. "I'm only out here because Haley and then haven't arrived yet, I can't find Evan, Conall's talking to Cindy Owens, and my new friend left me for her crush."

"Ahaaaaa!" Nick cried.

I jumped in my seat sending waves across the water. "What?" I asked him bewildered.

"You said Cindy Owens, not just Cindy, but Cindy Owens!"

"Really?" I asked him.

"YOUR A HYPOCRITE!"

"And your an idiot."

"Why thank you milady."

I laughed and took a sip of my coke. "There are just so many things wrong with you."

"Or maybe I'm the normal one in the world and your the strange one which means that everyone else in the world is strange but I am normal. Which makes me the smart one and you the dumb one and everything is the opposite," Nick said _very_ fast.

"You are such an idiot."

"So why aren't the others up here?" I asked.

"They're probably climbing the trees or something."

"What are they, monkeys?"

Conall laughed. "They're just weird and abnormal like that."

"Well at least we can see the fireworks from in top of your roof and we won't get all the nose that Jazzy's Party will get."

"That is definitely a plus."

I smiled and wondered if Conall could see it in the dim light provided by the one street lamp below.

"So when do these things start?" I asked Conall.

Conall took out his phone and the light shone on his face. "It should be any minute now."

"So much suspense."

"I know right!" Evan yelled from one of the trees to my left.

I laughed. "Having fun up there?" I asked him.

"It's the time of my life!"

I laughed harder.

"Just ignore him," Conall told me, "he's an idiot."

"And you think I haven't noticed that?"

"I can still hear you!" Nick yelled.

Conall and I both laughed.

"I am so sorry that you have to live with him," I whispered. "I can't imagine what it's like."

"It's like living with a five-year-old."

"A fucking awesome five-year-old!"

"Shut up Nick!" Ellie yelled from somewhere.

"I apologize for her too," Conall said.

Then the fireworks started.

They started slow, with a bright white, blue, or red firework about every minute or so. Nothing to quick. But soon load obnoxious screaming fireworks filled the sky, popping as they exploded. The colors would change from white to red to red to blue and every so often, a gold firework would light up the sky.

You could hear the screams from Jazzy's house and the cheers from Evan and Nick as they started singing the national anthem but with Conall and I on the roof it felt like something special. I was finally getting that patriotic feeling.

"Happy Forth of July," I said to Conall.

"Happy Forth of July, Red.

_**O**_**kay so here's my first Authors Note on here (yay for me!). But anyways, thanks for the all the good reviews. I'm updating really fast because this is for nanowrimo and I'm kinda behind but I kinda like knowing I can whip up chapters really fast. But my laptop is acting really wierd so I've had some issue's posting chapters in the last couple of days. And if you haven't noticed, I usuall post chapters on the weekends when I write. So anyways, I'm writing a chapter right now so you can expect two or three more chapters today :) Thanks for reading**


	21. Fairy Tale's Street Fair

The sun was shinning through the kitchen windows as I took a scoop of chocolate frosting and spread it on the circular cake in front of me. Apparently it was some sort of tradition that after the Fourth of July, everyone would participate in a street fair held in downtown Fairy Tale. Grandma had signed us both up for the baking booth which explained the whole cake thing right now.

Apparently Grandma thought it was about time we hung out - since she had been pretty absent my whole trip - and thought the street fair would fix things right up. Evidently she was a baker and a brilliant one at that. Grandma had pulled out at least ten cakes since I had entered the kitchen this morning and it was my job to decorate everything and take them to the fair. Currently I was only on cake number three.

I finished spreading the brown frosting around and then took a bag of M&M's and dumbed them on top. From there it only took me about five minutes to spread the M&M's around so there weren't big clumps of them in a particular part of the top of the cake.

I quickly switched to the next cake which was vanilla. I switched my frosting from a chocolate to a green one, that was whatever flavor, and spread it smooth along the parameter of the cake. I then took the the knife and started dolloping the top of the cake so it looked somewhat like grass. Grandma had made all sorts of decorations last night so I took some harden daisies she had made and place them atop the cake in the "grass".

After that I switched to cake number five. "How many cakes are you going to make?" I asked Grandma.

"This is the last one." Grandma slipped on some oven mitts and pulled a yellow lemon cake out of the oven. "Now we're onto cupcakes and cookies."

"And I have to decorate those too?"

"Yes Dear."

I picked up my knife and started decorating again. It was going much faster now that I had the frosting part down. I decorated a couple more cakes and Grandma just kept on puling things out of the oven. Our kitchen was starting to look like a war zone by the time ten o'clock rolled around. Dishes were haphazardly thrown around on the counter and sink, and the dishwasher was going off about every ten minutes. Flour and eggs were everywhere and I was kinda scared I'd end up looking like a gingerbread woman if I come closer to the kitchen than I already was at the dining table.

The street fair started at eleven and if we wanted to get all these cakes, cookies, and cupcakes over to our stand, we'd probably have to leave now. Which is what Grandma told me a minute later.

"Red, you should go and bring the food on over to the street fair now. I can finish decorating the cupcakes for you," Grandma said.

I was in the middle of making a smiley face on a cookie with brown frosting. I looked up.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to stay and help decorate?"

"It's fine," Grandma said, "You need to get the cakes over there and then check out the stall. I'm sure Ryan's done with it by now."

"Ryan's making the stall?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Just go already, I'm sure he made it perfectly fine."

"Okay."

I took a cake in my hand and then my car keys in the other. After about fifteen minutes I had taken all the cakes, cupcakes, and cookies that had been baked and decorated and placed them inside my red Prius.

It took about five minutes to drive over to the streets fair and once I was over I had to park a block away because all the streets were closed.

I took one of the cakes out of the car and walked over to the street fair. Everyone had there own stalls selling various things. Cindy and Aurora were doing a stall together - they seemed inseparable - and selling some beautifully woven cloths. I passed by one stall with two girls, one with blonde hair and the other with brown, who were selling teacups and teapots with various designs painted on them. There was even a stall with a guy selling hats.

I spotted Ryan by an empty red colored stall and smiled. The stall was a red painted countertop like area with two posts on the side that held up a red sign that said, _Fresh Baked Goods by Grandma and Red_. There was a plastic table behind the stall and a canopy over that.

I walked up to Ryan with a smile. "Nice work," I told him.

"You didn't believe in my skills at all did you?"

I laughed. "No, so this was a pleasant surprise."

"Well can you watch the stall while I get the rest of the stuff out of my car down the street?"

Ryan nodded. "Okay."

I smiled and placed the cake I was holding down on the stall counter. I made a couple of trips to the car and when I was coming back with my last tray of cupcakes I found Ellie leaning against the stall. Ryan was nowhere to be found.

"These look good," Ellie commented as I set down the last tray on the table beneath the stall.

"Grandma made them and- what are these for?" Ellie had handed me about five dollars.

"Someone came by and bought a cupcake and I ate a bite of the cake."

I looked at the chocolate cake on the counter that had a slice taken out of it. "Did it taste good?"

"It was delicious."

"Thank you," I said with a smile.

"Is it your grandma's recipe?" Ellie asked sitting down on a stool.

I was surprised that Ellie was being so nice to me. I had only talked to her about a number of times - most of which she usually got mad and ended up on her phone - and had never really had a pleasant conversation where she didn't insult me.

"Yah, Grandma says that it's been in he family for ages."

"That's nice," Ellie said. "so do you need any help with the booth or anything, the street fair starts n about five minutes."

I stared at her reluctantly at her cheery face.

"Don't worry," She told me, "I won't bite."

"Okay then," I said slowly. "you can help, I don't expect Grandma to be over here soon anyways. She was still baking a ton when I left and she has to decorate everything by herself."

I handed Ellie a faded blue apron.

"What is this for?" she asked.

"It makes us seem like professional bakers." I smiled as I slipped on my own faded green, white, and red striped apron.

"Yes because two sixteen-year-olds can surely be professional bakers."

I smiled. "Totally."

"Yah but anyways do we get like free slices or- oh God, here comes trouble."

I looked up to see a black haired girl walk over to us. She was tall had striking brown eyes. "Her name is Maleficent and she is positively one of the worst people ever. Last year, she tried to kill everyone."

I raised my eyebrows.

"It's true," Ellie whispered.

"Why look who it is," The voice of Maleficent rang out before I could answer Ellie back. "It's little Ellie and the dog lover."

I guess she was talking to me.

"Maleficent just leave us alone. We're all trying to have a good time at the street fair."

"Like I care about what you are doing," She cackled.

That's when I decided I didn't like Maleficent.

"You're just a bunch of losers."

"And your a murderer."

Maleficent's face grew red in anger. "That was just a rumor! Aurora is an evil lying wench!"

"This is like mean girls all over again," I mumbled.

Maleficent turned on me. "You say something Dog Lover?"

I raised my hands and took a step back. I am so not getting in the middle of this.

"Leave her alone!" Ellie said.

"Fine." Maleficent put a sweet smile on her face. "I'll just do this instead."

Maleficent picked up one of the cakes.

"You have to pay for those," I started.

But Maleficent ignored me. She picked up the cake and threw it right in Ellie's face.

Chocolate went everywhere and I got hit in the cheek with some frosting.

Ellie looked at the cake which had fallen to the ground.

Maleficent had a big smile on her face.

Ellie took the lemon cake and quickly threw it at Maleficent who countered with a small, but deadly, cupcake.

The two started throwing all the cakes, cupcakes, and occasionally a cookie at each other.

"Stop it!" I yelled.

Ellie and Maleficent didn't listen.

We were attracting quiet a lot of attention from everyone.

"Stop it!" I yelled again.

Ellie picked up the last cupcake. "Ellie," I pleaded with her. "she's not worth it."

Ellie seemed cross but put the cupcake down.

"Your right," she said. "She's not worth it."

"Okay good," I said standing in between Ellie and Maleficent. I was still scared that one of them might change there minds and throw something at each other. "let's just forget this all and go back to the street fair. Truce?"

"There is no way I'm making a truce with a stuck up b-"

"I knew this would happen!" Ellie interrupted. "Maleficent just can't be nice to someone for a second!"

"Because dogs like you can't be trusted!"

"And you wonder why you don't have any friends!"

"She-devil!"

"Troll face!"

"Fat thighs!"

"Stop it!"

Maleficent threw a cupcake at Ellie. And that was the last straw.

Ellie threw off her apron and stormed away.

I ran after her and passed Grandma on the way.

"Ellie's mad, all the cakes are destroyed, no time to explain. Watch the stall?" I yelled to Grandma.

I didn't wait for a response.


	22. After the Storm

"Ellie!" I yelled.

God, that girl runs fast.

I had chased all throughout downtown Fairy Tale and the surrounding neighborhoods.

"Ellie!" I yelled again.

She was slightly ahead of me as we ran through Conall's house.

Nick was drinking a bottle of water in the kitchen.

"Ellie!"

She stormed off somewhere in the house and slammed the door.

"What's up with her? And what happened to you?" Nick looked amusingly at me.

I was covered in icing, frosting, cake, and still had my faded striped apron tied around me.

"No time," I gasped, "but here's a summary: Ellie being nice, bake sale, and Maleficent."

"Oh," Nick said, "first door down the hallway."

I thanked him and then rushed out of the room. I passed by the stairs and went straight down a hallway until I found the first door, which was locked. "Ellie!" I banged on the door. "Come on out! You can't hide in there forever and certainly not when you start being nice to me!"

I banged on the door three times before it swiftly opened.

"What do you wan't?" Ellie yelled in my face.

Her blonde hair was sticking out at odd ends and she had bits of cake and chocolate all over her.

Only one though came to mind: _oh shit, why am I here?_

Why was I here? Ellie had been down right cruel and mean to me every time I've ever come into contact with her, except for today. Maybe it was the fact that I felt slightly guilty that my cakes had been thrown in her face or that I was really in a good mood and had nothing to hold against Ellie. But I found myself answering her question in the most unexpected way possible,

"Because I'm your friend."

The words lay heavy in the small room.

"I've been nothing but mean to you."

"Yes you have," I said slowly. "but I think your just too scared to make friends. You're only really nice to Ryan - God knows why - and you can't let yourself trust anyone else. I think there's just something holding you back.

"You're a total mess because of a food fight that I was in."

"Actually, Maleficent started it."

"And I growled about Haley, she's like you best friend!"

"I still don't know what that was about."

"And I told Conall you were an uptight Prig."

"What?"

"And your kind of bossy too."

"Just stop trying to make me leave Ellie," I told her before pushing past her and walking into her room. "See, now I'm already in your room. You can't dispose of me."

Ellie shrugged and closed the white door to her room.

Ellie's room was in the typical fashion of pink, and white. The walls were a light pink while the bedspread was white with curvy pink floral patterns on it. It kinda went like this throughout the whole room.

"Nice room," I commented.

"It reminds me of before."

"Before what?"

"Before everything changed."

I'm not going to ask.

"But anyways," Ellie continued, "I'm sorry about getting cake all over you."

"I'm sorry it's my grandma's cake that Maleficent threw in your face."

"I'm sorry I missed all of that."

Ellie and I turned to see Nick standing in the doorway.

"Are you two like best friends now?" Nick asked.

"I don't think twenty minutes and a food fight with a suspected murderer make us best friends," I told Nick.

He shrugged. "You never know."

"Or you do," Ellie pointed out.

I nodded in agreement.

"I just think everyone's going to have a heart attack when they see you two getting along with each other."

"Good, I never liked them," Ellie said dryly.

"It's not like we tackled each other every time we saw each other Nick," I told him.

"But that would be a great idea for a book!" Nick exclaimed. "two girls: one blonde, one brunette. They both hate each other but one insane maybe - probably - murder and one food fight later they become the best of friends." Nick finished this by looking out in the distance and making a rainbow gesture with his hands.

"That sounds like the worst book ever," Ellie said.

"A horrible book," I agreed.

"You guys just ruined my dream!" Nick cried out.

"You'll get over it," Ellie said.

"Quite quickly I predict," I said.

"It could be slowly for all you know!"

"All the better."

Nick huffed and crossed his arms. "I think Ellie's rubbing off on you! No, I can't loose you now Red! DON'T GO BITTER IN ME!"

"Don't make me slap you!"

"YOU ARE GOING ELLIE ON ME!"

"Shut up Nick."

"You both are idiots," Ellie said rolling her eyes.

I gasped. "I thought we were becoming friends!"

"Nick must be rubbing off on me."

"Wait so I'm rubbing off one you," Nick said. "you're rubbing off on Red, and maybe possibly in the future Red could rub off on me."

"I really wish I were somewhere else," Ellie complained. "I would take Maleficent at the Fairy Tale street fair over this conversation any day."

"I can literally feel the love coming off of you right now," Nick deadpanned.

"Oh Crap!" I yelled.

Nick and Ellie turned towards me.

"I left Grandma by herself without any food to sell at the street fair!"

"Nice going Red."

(-)

**Okay Another Authors Note! So I apologize for this chapter. It sucks. Basically it was just all brain vomit because I wasn't getting any writing done today. So yah, I'll try and make the next chapter better :)**


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